Luke:
I'm not particularly familiar with this band or any of their previous work if there is any. So I don't have anything to compare it to as far as whether this is a benchmark release for them as a band being their first on Relapse records.
I'm not particularly familiar with this band or any of their previous work if there is any. So I don't have anything to compare it to as far as whether this is a benchmark release for them as a band being their first on Relapse records.
However, I believe I've read a couple of reviews of this or, at the very least, have read some bi-lines about it being melodic death metal that is comparable to At The Gates, Dissection, and whatever other bands usually get lumped into that category. I don't really see where that comparison is relevant. I mean, this sounds like quite a few other bands I could name and I wouldn't necessarily put this in the melodic category, per se.
This is fairly typical death metal and honestly I'm surprised the band ended up on Relapse. The label has certainly been branching out as of late and releasing some unexpected material but, normally what I get is that what they are doing is, in some fashion, trying to push some envelope and this album isn't having any of that.
I've listened to this on two different sets of speakers so far and on both, the recording is shit. There is nothing really wrong with the rhythm guitar tone exactly but when it comes to solos, they're waaaaay back in the mix and they remind me of the first time I listened to Suffocations 'Breeding the Spawn' and I got so pissed because I knew there was something going on, I just couldn't tell what because the recording was so bad. Could've had something to do with the tape deck in my Sentra but none the less, not pleased. To me, it sounds like these guys sat down, listened to some mid nineties Metal Blade records and said, "we should do something like this."
The vocals here seem really strained. Maybe they should've been accented with more reverb or something but they are mediocre at best in terms of the quality of the recording and the phrasing. There is a good variation of range in the vocals, I think, but it's just so generic. You can literally plan an idea of what you think will happen next in your head and it will actually happen.
Now... the drums. This is the worst of it. This guy has to be more competent than this. This is one of the sloppiest drum performances I've heard come from a respected label release in a long long time. I never thought I'd say I wish these guys would've quantized this but, put that shit on a grid. We can hear you fucking up. Please, please, for the love of christ, if you are in a band who can fool label guys into giving you a deal that will expose you to masses... please take the time to record something that at the very least, stands up to the rest of the mediocre shit that's out there.
This is a demo. It sounds like a mastered demo. I think they probably have the ability to do something good in the future if they stick with it but, if they continue releasing shit that sounds like it was recorded in a can of potted meat, I'll just go back to listening to 'Breeding the Spawn' and being furious. Like I am now.
1 out of 5
Joe:
Today's music scene i vastly different than say even 5 years ago. With the birth of myspace came an entirely new playing field in which musicians could create [with the help of now affordable recording equipment] and share thier music to people all over the world without a record label. The upside of this is that more people are now hearing more and more highly skilled musicians from around the world that might not have been heard before and as a result gaining fanbases much larger than previously possible and with far far less work and getting signed by labels. The downside to this is that now with all this music out there there are also a slew of over glorified coverbands who follow trends and emulate note for note whatever seems to be the next big thing and on that side of things, the music scene is suffering.
Gladly aiding to the pool of generic pool of "melodic death" out there is Abysmal Dawn and by damned they are on Relapse of all labels! Listening to this record was no treat. I found myself forgetting everything about all the songs the second after they were done. I even went back and relistened to a few cuts to try to get it to sink in, but nothing. Song after song of played out "Gothenburg" cliche made famous throughout the metal world by the early works of such bands as In Flames and Dark Tranquility along with a load of cheap Dissection and At The Gates rip offs.
One thing that sticks out on this record is the sloppiness of many of the drum parts. I guess by todays overly protools aided and quantize processed drums that it could have been admirable for the band to not use such methods, but the result is often cluttered sounding and just not very palatable. Another thing that this offering by Abysmal Dawn brings to question is what is the deal with thier leads? Not only is the audio quality of the leads on "Programmed To Consume" poor but the actual performence is lacking and some of the parts are simply distasteful.
To be honest I would listen to the latest Cryptopsy over this any day [sigh]. Programmed To Consume by Abysmal Dawn is as bland and mediocre as it could possibly be. At times I thaught that maybe I was listening to an unreleased album by The Black Dahlia Murder until the poor drumming made it quite apparent that there was no way that TBDM would ever higher this guy. So if you see this album in a store, on itunes, or even on some blog where you can steal it: Seriously, just dont even bother.
My Rating 1/5 [lets hope i dont agree on luke about everything!]
Joe:
Today's music scene i vastly different than say even 5 years ago. With the birth of myspace came an entirely new playing field in which musicians could create [with the help of now affordable recording equipment] and share thier music to people all over the world without a record label. The upside of this is that more people are now hearing more and more highly skilled musicians from around the world that might not have been heard before and as a result gaining fanbases much larger than previously possible and with far far less work and getting signed by labels. The downside to this is that now with all this music out there there are also a slew of over glorified coverbands who follow trends and emulate note for note whatever seems to be the next big thing and on that side of things, the music scene is suffering.
Gladly aiding to the pool of generic pool of "melodic death" out there is Abysmal Dawn and by damned they are on Relapse of all labels! Listening to this record was no treat. I found myself forgetting everything about all the songs the second after they were done. I even went back and relistened to a few cuts to try to get it to sink in, but nothing. Song after song of played out "Gothenburg" cliche made famous throughout the metal world by the early works of such bands as In Flames and Dark Tranquility along with a load of cheap Dissection and At The Gates rip offs.
One thing that sticks out on this record is the sloppiness of many of the drum parts. I guess by todays overly protools aided and quantize processed drums that it could have been admirable for the band to not use such methods, but the result is often cluttered sounding and just not very palatable. Another thing that this offering by Abysmal Dawn brings to question is what is the deal with thier leads? Not only is the audio quality of the leads on "Programmed To Consume" poor but the actual performence is lacking and some of the parts are simply distasteful.
To be honest I would listen to the latest Cryptopsy over this any day [sigh]. Programmed To Consume by Abysmal Dawn is as bland and mediocre as it could possibly be. At times I thaught that maybe I was listening to an unreleased album by The Black Dahlia Murder until the poor drumming made it quite apparent that there was no way that TBDM would ever higher this guy. So if you see this album in a store, on itunes, or even on some blog where you can steal it: Seriously, just dont even bother.
My Rating 1/5 [lets hope i dont agree on luke about everything!]
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