Masquerade

Golden Dawn is one of those bands that is really hard to classify because they seem to use a smattering of three shitloads of different styles in their music. Yet the end result is cohesive and forms a solid structure by which this excellent album is created.

At the very heart and soul of this band is a neo-classical foundation. Everything seems based around this ideal, and so it could be argued that Golden Dawn are one of the few neo-classical bands, especially since no other label put to them will accurately stick. The keyboards and guitars mixed in clean melodies suggest Power Metal tendencies, and yet it is not unusual for a Baroque passage on the keyboards to degenerate into a chaotic explosion of Black Metal complete with ferocious harsh vocals that counteract the clean vocals of earlier styles. The perfect example of how everything in this band is all rolled into one can be found in the first two songs, Silent Inferno and Doomsday Celebration, which alternate between Baroque keyboard melodies and intense Black Metal passages. Another interesting song is Alive and Immortal, both for the combination of Black, Power, and Speed metal which make up the song and for the different styles of vocals that show up throughout the number..

This band is fascinating to listen to, and if it can be argued that there is such a thing as "intelligent music," then this album certainly falls under the category. Recommended for anyone curious as to what other styles sound like, as well as anyone fascinated by the neo-classical roots of metal or by intelligent, thought-provoking music.

Lets talk initial reactions... I kind of refrained from listening to this cd, but I'm really glad I did. When the first track rolled around, I found the vocals kind of annoying, they sounded like Moonspell, so that turned me off a bit. I also found the vocals to be loud/didn't fit in the mix. But then this like twin black metal vocal attack came in and just blew me away, it just sounded so good I was hooked immediately. As time went on, the tracks just kept getting better and better. "Doomsday Celebration" is a great black metal/thrashy instrumental, "Alive and Immortal?" is this mix of like Haggard, Dissection, and a hefty dose of originality, that is probably my favorite track on the CD. And really influenced a tag of progressive black metal. What I love so much about this album, besides the great rhythm section, is the variety of vocals on this album. As typical with most bands... for obvious reasons, the vocals usually stick to a general tone and theme, while on this album, you have like every variety of vocals, from Haggard/Hollenthon clean vocals, to a black/death cross, to a Garm Ulver/Arcturus contrapuntal vocal section. This is just a great all around release, if you don't like one track, you're bound to fin done you like, just because they go through every metal style in just a few songs. This should appeal to fans of so many different bands: Ulver, Arcturus, Hollenthon, Haggard, Vintersorg, Empyrium... fans of those bands? Be prepared for an awesome album that combines elements of all of them.
Standout Tracks: All but the last track (eww)