German Doom veterans DAWN OF WINTER have been around the best part of 30 years now and have stayed steadfastly and defiantly true to their traditional Doom Metal roots since their formation in 1991. But this is only their 3rd full length album since their formation, as the old saying goes, the ways of doom are slow. The band follows the same doomed musical path as bands such as CANDLEMASS, SOLITUDE AETURNUS, SAINT VITUS and suchlike. This is Doom in its purest form with a good mix of tempos. From crawling slow sections, which pound along like a solemn funeral march, to more uptempo sections, where they collectively step things up a gear. The riffing is heavy and crisp, the melodies are sharp, the drums are pummeling and powerful, the bass bulldozes along with bludgeoning heaviness and the soaring, unique and instantly recognisable vocals of Gerrit Phillip Mutz are as charasmatic as ever. His delivery is very commanding and his words solemnly soar above the musical misery. The production is very strong with each instrument cutting through the mix with clarity and is very well balanced. DAWN OF WINTER have always had plenty of musical and vocal hooks in their songwriting and this album definitely has plenty of those with a multitude of melancholic memorable moments throughout. This is a masterclass in traditional Doom Metal. www.facebook.com/dawn-of-winter-221810797934891, www.ihate.se