Blue Dawn
Edge of Chaos

THE REVIEW

Third album for the Blue Dawn from Genoa who, after two not insignificant but not entirely focused works, this time hit the mark. The compositional maturity has finally come to fruition and the vocal parts are impeccable. The lineup consists of Andrea “Marty” Martino on guitar, Andrea Di Martino on drums, Enrico Lanciaprima on bass and vocals, and Monica Santo on vocals. Among the guests, we find the great Freddy Delirio from Death SS on keyboards who gives a special dark touch to the initial, atmospheric, and instrumental “The Presence.” The following “Sex (Under a Shell)” is granite-hard at just the right point. Roberto Nunzio Trabona's sax is another key element in giving the sound a flavor with a prog aftertaste. One can perceive some echoes of the heavier King Crimson at times, as in the beautiful “Serpent’s Tongue,” a chilling track characterized by now frantic, now calm atmospheres. In the poetic “Dancing on the Edge of Chaos,” Monica Santo's voice is prominently featured in what is another strong piece of “Edge of Chaos,” with unique intensity and melancholy. “Wandering Mist” is an electronic interlude that evokes unhealthy places hidden in some infamous alley while in “Black Trees,” the rhythm section resumes hammering with Monica Santo delivering lines like a possessed priestess of some forgotten ritual. After the relentless “Burst of Life” and “Sorrows of the Moon,” the closure is dedicated to the mythological and progressive “Baal’s Demise,” where the sax finds ample space and the use of the voices is truly captivating. There is also room for the bonus track “Unwanted Love.” “Edge of Chaos” is an album that I believe will appeal to many, particularly those who love doom, gothic rock, but also those who do not disdain progressive tinged with darkness as represented by Presence, Devil Doll, and Antonius Rex.