After a few years of absence the Finns are back with an album that is made to “click” to the fans. Each and every song from the “Deathstar Rising” can become a hit and that’s because the tunes are memorable, catchy and sound relatively modern. Therefore I believe the record will catch the attention of the fans of melodic death/gothic/doom metal.
Before The Dawn reminds me of their countrymen, Amorphis, after Tomi Joutsen joined the band. The beautiful and melodic clean vocals are balanced in perfect harmony with the death metal growls whereas melancholy is not conquering the listener. There are many up-tempo parts and rock leads that offer another dimension to this music.
Just because melodic death metal is not my cup of tea I can simply assume that too many bands have followed the Amorphis recipe after the huge success of “Eclipse”. So even if that sound has been watered down as well “Deathstar Rising” is a decent, well elaborated listening experience.