Just Before Dawn continues on its way for a new EP at the end of 2021.
Entitled In The Realm Of Ash And Sorrow, it’s included into the band’s continuity, created in 2012 in Sweden, and now composed of Anders Biazzi (guitar/bass, Gods Forsaken, ex-Amon Amarth), Jon Rudin (drums, Wombbath, Dead Sun, ex-Ashcloud), Remco Kreft (vocals, Soulburn, ex-Grand Supreme Blood Court) and Gustav Myrin (guitar, Gods Forsaken).
The EP begins with the groovy and massive Waltzing Hummel, a composition with a weighing and effective basis. We feel Death Metal flows in the veins of musicians, offering us a raw and impressive firepower since the first notes, quickly strengthened by aggressive vocals, but we also have more haunting parts before Bloodlands comes to crush us. Lacerating harmonics join the rhythmic section and howlings, which literally rolls upon us as a tank, then The Hours Before the Dawn come to feed a worrying and oppressive ambience. The song’s regularity gives it an extremely cold mechanical aspect which is definitely dark and it takes advantage of some epic leads to create an interesting contrast. In the Realm of Ash and Sorrow comes next with an as weighing and powerful as haunting , while being sticked to those Old School Death Metal roots at every moment. The tempo seems to decrease thile welcoming airy leads from Björn Brusse (Graceless) before getting strengthened and leaving for Drowned, a cover song from Entombed, after a very quiet final. This last is dedicated to Sven Groß (Fleshcrawl, Burial Remains) and L.G. Petrov (Entombed, Entombed A.D., Firespawn, Morbid), two Old School Death Metal legends who left us in 2021, while paying tribute to this greasy and effective-based aspect, as well as some purely hooking tones.
Just Before Dawn’s Death Metal is directly inspired by the style’s roots. In The Realm Of Ash And Sorrow is an incredibly effective EP, strictly respecting the style’s codes while giving it characteristic this putrid and greasy energy. The tribute to Sven Groß and L.G. Petrov is sincerely appreciated and enjoyable.
95/100