ALBUM REVIEW: Stormbringers – Before The Dawn
Home to the likes of INSOMNIUM, AMORPHIS, WINTERSUN and countless others, Finland has a certain pedigree when it comes to top tier melodic death metal. Having been a steady player in the melodeath space in the the first decade of this century, BEFORE THE DAWN were proudly flying the melodeath flag high before ultimately disbanding in 2013. Now, after another decade, band leader Tuomas Saukkonen has resurrected the project and returned with their first album in 11 years: Stormbringers.
Boasting a new line-up with Voice Of Finland 2022 finalist Paavo Laapotti coming in to tackle vocal duties, while SWALLOW THE SUN‘s Juho Räihä returns on guitar and Saukkonen moves behind the drums, Stormbringers intends to showcase a reborn BEFORE THE DAWN and although their sound never veers off the melodeath roadmap, the album largely showcases the Finns doing what they do best.
Picking up where 2012’s Rise Of The Phoenix left off, following a short and rather needless atmospheric introduction in the form of The Dawn, Destroyer sees BEFORE THE DAWN roar back to life, akin to a phoenix rising from the ashes as a barrage of melodic riffage from Räihä and pummelling drumming from Saukkonen carries the weight of the track whilst Laapotti dispatches his sultry cleans with aplomb. It’s BEFORE THE DAWN as we know and love, and with the added bonus of a stunning guitar solo from Räihä, it feels oh so good to have new music from the band once again.
From there, as Stormbringers continues to unveil its various offerings, it becomes clear that the group have not lost any of their potency for crafting killer melodeath from their years in the wilderness. Chains feels like it could belong on Saukkonen‘s WOLFHEART as the mourning guitars connect with Laapotti‘s crooning vocals to make a soundscape that shimmers with melancholic fragility; Divided‘s combination of angelic keys and soaring lead guitar work really helps push the band’s potency for melody to the forefront; and Reveries oozes with some lovely link-up play of Saukkonen‘s low growls and Laapotti‘s crisp cleans.
Consistent across the album’s 40-minute runtime, BEFORE THE DAWN stick firmly to the melodeath rulebook and whilst we can’t help but yearn for the occasional experimentation or left-field idea, Stormbringers is very much a masterclass in how to effectively portray solemn and moody melodic death metal. The Dark washes over you effectively as the solemn tone of the track ensnares your emotions whilst penultimate track Chaos Star ups the tempo with some free-flowing riffs to crescendo the album on a strong footing before finale The Weight unfolds with emotions running at their highest.
Stormbringers won’t reinvent the wheel of melodic death metal but that’s not what BEFORE THE DAWN have set out to achieve with their comeback album. What this album demonstrates is that the band still have the magic touch for writing music that ticks all the correct boxes for the style and their collective chemistry for melancholic metal is what makes this album strong. Although it may stumble on occasion, this is a welcome return from one of melodic death metal’s most consistent names. Welcome back boys, you have been missed.
Rating: 8/10
Stormbringers is out now via Napalm Records.
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