The Peaceful Dead

With an opening track declaring in it's chorus "Doom is the soul of metal - primordial and pure/ Doom is the true essence of living - immortal - my cure", you can be sure of but one thing when "The Peaceful Dead" begins it's journey round your CD player - Dawn of Winter will be bringing you doom. Dawn of Winter plod and rumble along in classic doom metal fashion - thinking Candlemass, Reverend Bizarre or The Gates of Slumber - telling tales of suffering in various forms, but never in the self-pitying means of My Dying Bride and their darkened kin.

Despite rarely deviating from the tried 'n' tested Candlemass-ian template of doom, DoW possess enough genuine conviction in their art that this isn't a problem. Other scenes might see a band reference their influences and peers through borrowed riffs but doom goes one step further - bands actually namedrop their peers in song. "The Music of Despair", much like Reverend Bizarre's now legendary (?) "The Goddess of Doom" is a history lesson in classic doom - that would be Candlemass, Pentagram, Saint Vitus if you didn't know. Despite showing less inventiveness in bending the 'rules' of true doom than RevBiz, sufficient variance within the songs comprising "The Peaceful Dead" result in a pleasingly enjoyable hour of spirited, reliable doom metal. The title-track is the albums' most introspective song, capturing the hollow essence of many a Solitude Aeturnus classic with vocalist Gerrit P. Mutz, a Messiah Marcolin student of the operatic screams of doom, taking a formidable lead. One of the highlights among the drawn-out riffs and thudding drums is the vocal melodies in the likes of "Anthem of Doom" and "Burn Another Sinner", lifting "The Peaceful Dead" beyond being a mere true doom copycat. Any fool can play slow riffs and instruct their drummer to chill out a while, but without the emotion felt amongst foreboding closer "The Oath Of The Witch" a band will not get anywhere.

Most listen to metal to hear music faster and louder than everything else, and in such a respect doom metal is a loner. However, for a change of scenery, Dawn of Winter with "The Peaceful Dead" is a worthy addition to the record collection of those who like to live life in the slow lane.