Dawn Of Winter
The Peaceful Dead

A semi-unknown band. Dedicated to a classic doom metal (in the style of Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus, to be clear), these four Germans have pleasantly surprised me. Not only that, they have impressed on a large scale, given the great reviews from critics for what represents the band's second album. Their first work dates back to 1998, titled "In the Valley of Tears." After a full ten years comes The Peaceful Dead. A work that possesses nothing extraordinary in terms of originality, yet still manages to showcase the band's excellent musical capability.

For Dawn of Winter, doom is not just a music genre to play, but also and especially a lifestyle. This is made explicit in the opening "The Music of Despair" where the slowness of Jörg Michael Knittel's guitar emerges alongside the warm voice of Gerrit Philipp Mutz: the song's lyrics underline their doom attitude. "Doom is the soul of metal" goes the chorus, followed by verses that mention bands that have made the genre great: Black Sabbath, Candlemass, Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Pagan Altar.

The backbone of the album is Knittel's six strings, which trace riffs of rare power upon which the singer's voice lays to create vocal lines that echo the suffering clean vocals typical of Marcolin and Stainthorpe. For all these reasons, The Peaceful Dead "sounds" in a dark, slowed-down manner. It is a tunnel of black gloom. The listener enters this tunnel aware of the challenges, and their private hell is accentuated by the suffering and painful arpeggio of "Throne of Isolation", a true classic doom must from the eighties. Notes that evoke memories of a past music yet still belonging to this world. A sublime song that rightfully enters among the best doom compositions of recent years.

The first three tracks are enough to understand the direction of the album: sometimes you might not want to continue and linger on what you've already heard, but proceeding with this album, you still encounter dramatically worthy creations. "A Lovelorn Traveller" confirms the good things heard so far, and the title track dispels any doubt. It is the sixth track that strongly reaffirms the importance of this work: almost ten minutes of primordial doom. Minutes that represent the link between what was of this genre and what it might become in the future: a niche music that can (and must) expand its horizons. "The Peaceful Dead" represents in this sense the ascending climax of the album, managing to create an aura of darkness that lingers even after it ends.

"All the Gods You Worship" and "Anthem of Doom" are other examples of great music, while the penultimate "Burn Another Sinner" raises the stakes towards heavy metal, representing the most direct episode of the entire full-length.

We are indeed facing a great doom metal album. The critique that can be made to the German band is that they have not brought any type of innovation. The fact remains that The Peaceful Dead surprises with freshness and power. A slow, suffering, existential, deeply felt music.
Dawn of Winter's music brings peace. It is the distant call of a man about to die. It is the lamentations of a life...

"Hell is my final sentence."

1. "The Music Of Despair" (7:09)
2. "Holy Blood" (5:19)
3. "Throne Of Isolation" (5:35)
4. "Mourner" (3:39)
5. "A Lovelorn Traveller" (5:52)
6. "The Peaceful Dead" (9:49)
7. "All The Gods You Worship" (6:38)
8. "Anthem Of Doom" (4:04)
9. "Burn Another Sinner" (3:03)
10. "The Oath Of The Witch" (4:51)