Dawnbringer - Night of the Hammer

By Calen Henry. Dawnbringer’s Night of the Hammer takes the relatively straightforward traditional metal of Into the Lair of the Sun God, slows it down to a more traditional doom metal pace and showcases Chris Black’s now clean and clear vocal delivery through an array of stunningly

By Calen Henry.


Dawnbringer’s Night of the Hammer takes the relatively straightforward traditional metal of Into the Lair of the Sun God, slows it down to a more traditional doom metal pace and showcases Chris Black’s now clean and clear vocal delivery through an array of stunningly composed and performed standalone songs.

The songs mostly plod along at mid pace like Argus or Solstice but, the devil is in the details with Night of the Hammer. My initial reaction to the record was positive, but no more than most other solid traditional metal and traditional doom bands. But then I couldn't stop listening. I just kept playing it again, and again, and again. (It helps that the it’s only about 40 minutes long, so it’s over before I’m really ready for it to be).

There are so many small touches that make Night of the Hammer so fantastic. “Nobody There” ends with a slide guitar solo. “Xiphias” and “One-Eyed Sister” start out as folk songs and gallop into twin guitar NWOBHM fury. The extremely doomey “Damn You” ends with on a run down a scale, but blast beats explode on the final note, turning into the first note of “Not Your Night”, a full on black metal track, with the only distorted vocals on the album.

While the composition and performance are stellar, I have one quibble with the production. The drums sound lack punch. It certainly doesn't ruin the experience, and they hit enough at high volume. But everything else is so excellent that it would have been nice for there to be just a bit more “oomph” in the drums.

This is the hardest part to put into words. Night of the Hammer just feels metal. The riffs, the melodies, the vocals, the transitions, every part of every song comes together perfectly to make an album that just exudes pure metal glory. It’s a showcase for songwriting, rather than any technical wizardry, and the songs are so, so good. They all beg you to sing along and lose yourself in the storytelling.

Album of the year, so far.

Dawnbringer - Into the Lair of the Sun God

By Natalie Zina Walschots. When Dawnbringer released Nucleus in 2010, on Profound Lore, the metal community suddenly sat up and took notice, wondering where this band had been all their lives. With Into The Lair of the Sun God, the Chicago, IL metallers have once again

By Natalie Zina Walschots. Originally published by Exclaim.


When Dawnbringer released Nucleus in 2010, on Profound Lore, the metal community suddenly sat up and took notice, wondering where this band had been all their lives. With Into the Lair of the Sun God, the Chicago, IL metallers have once again produced a record that's as engaging as it is refreshing. Dawnbringer manage to capture a classic heavy metal sound without sounding retro, evoking the incomparable energy of a heavy metal anthem while making those traditional structures sound new again.

Photos by Carmelo Española.

The songs are titled simply with Roman numerals corresponding to the track numbers; it's an ingenious tactic that forces the audience to listen more closely than usual to find the flow of the album's narrative, rather than drawing easy hints from the songs. The record's story arc follows the journey of a young assassin who has taken on a job that quickly spirals out of control.

The riffs ripple and crawl with anxious energy, while bassist/vocalist Chris Black (who also fronts Superchrist and High Spirits, and drums in Pharaoh) delivers a slightly grittier, darker performance than his usual fare. His slightly hoarse voice gives the lyrics a somewhat noir quality, while the instrumentation remains crisp and incandescently bright. Fans of Nucleus will not be disappointed.

Dawnbringer - Nucleus

Dawnbringer - Nucleus. The first song "So Much for Sleep" should tell you what you're in for: "guitar chords before vocal chords" as the esteemed Full Metal Attorney puts it; two guitar solos before the galloping riff of the song kicks in. This is a guitar album from start to finish

Dawnbringer - Nucleus. The first song "So Much for Sleep" should tell you what you're in for: "guitar chords before vocal chords" as the esteemed Full Metal Attorney puts it; two guitar solos before the galloping riff of the song kicks in. This is a guitar album from start to finish as Steel Druhm from Angry Metal Guy expounds:

the guitars of Scott Hoffman, Matt Johnsen and Bill Palko never let go from there. This is a very guitar driven album and with the styles these gents bring to the party, you couldn’t ask for anything more. There’s one tooth rattling riff after another along with outstanding lead work.

Photo by Carmelo Española.

The songwriting is excellent, my favorite "Like an Earthquake" is ridiculously catchy; songs are influenced by black metal, doom and thrash, while all being undeniably Heavy Metal. Check out the AllMusic review for a roll call of the album, and do yourself a favor and read THKD's heavy metal fever dream. Good writing inspired by a great album.