Dawn Of Disease - Worship The Grave
German metallers embrace love of Swedish death metal on third full-length
What’s immediately clear upon hearing Dawn Of Disease’s third album Worship The Grave is that the German’s have a great love for Swedish death metal, and as such their music is a ferocious concoction that spreads itself across a large portion of the realm of Grave, At The Gates, Arch Enemy and co. From the melodic moments that sound like Amon Amarth to the full-throttle, double bass pedal-led moments that remind of early Entombed, Dawn Of Disease offer little in the way of innovation, but in compiling the best elements of any and all of Sweden’s finest artists, offer a uniquely fun and uncompromisingly brutal style.
The uncannily brilliant speed of drummer Christian T. is a constant source of pure adrenaline throughout, and is best displayed on the relentless speed of ‘The Saviour’s Tomb’, where an unbridled power is relentlessly hammered home. Tracks like ‘Enwrapped In Guts’ see the metallers at their most unashamedly typical, with suitably violent-sounding buzzsaw riffs but unimaginatively predictable songwriting. Elsewhere, ‘Ashes’ sees a well-executed mix of gory riffs and headbang-inducing melodic sections, whilst ‘Cult Of The Fading Light’ sees Dawn Of Disease at their most accessible, with an anthemic nature that begs to be heard live.
It’s no secret that metal today is stacked with an array of unoriginal bands that proudly wear their inspirations on their sleeves, and although some may categorise Dawn Of Disease as such, the band do well to rise above this clutter of bands by re-appropriating the best components of their influences’ styles. Throughout the album’s ten tracks, the quintet consistently prove that they are just as good as the Swedish artists that come before them, and deserve not to be labelled as simple copycats, but rather commended for their efficient, focused and untameably heavy take on an established sound.
7/10
