Dawnbringer
Night Of The Hammer
Profound Lore
Street: 10.28.14
Dawnbringer = High Spirits / Slough Feg

Night Of The Hammer is not the instant classic that Nucleus was back in 2010, but I don’t think that it really needs to be. Instead, this album exhibits an incredible economy of songwriting that shaves off every layer of frill and fat, leaving only the skin and bones of a really impressive heavy metal record. Instead of bombarding the listener with high-minded shredding or overwhelming heaviness, Dawnbringer have honed their style into something more intimate and primal. Chris Black’s vocals still walk the line between infectiously catchy and bizarrely unconventional, and his performance on Night Of The Hammer is easily his strongest yet. Meanwhile, Matt Johnsen lays down classic riffs left and right, incorporating influences as diverse as Candlemass, Bathory and King Diamond without diluting his strictly basics approach to songwriting. Give this one some time to grow, and you won’t be disappointed. –Henry Glasheen