I have to admit that I struggled quite a bit with this album and it took me
quite a while to find out why. The album is obviously a great piece of Symphonic
Metal after all. The band shows some great skills both in their mastery of their
instruments, but also in their ability and willingness to put these skills to
good use for the band as a whole. The lead guitarist, for instance, gets his
solos, but is also willing and able to support his band mates by accentuating
their parts with his guitar. There is also an epical feeling to the album, a
certain “grandeur” so to say that not only Symphonic Metal fans, but also Power
Metal fans will appreciate.
At the same time I have to admit that I find their sound almost too clean, too
perfect which is a beef that I have with a lot of Metal bands that have a
keyboard player. It is nothing major, but fans who prefer rougher bands should
probably stay away from At The Dawn. Fans who love Symphonic Metal with a
certain Power Metal vibe will want to give the band a try.
Anyway, the album gets a decent 75 points from me.
