Dyecrest from Finland was one of the three winners of the
Young Metal Gods contest and it got them a record deal with
Sanctuary Records. Judging by this debut, produced by Piet Sielck (Iron Saviour), that was very well deserved. The band plays Heavy Metal with a few influences from both Power- and Progressive Metal. The songs on The way of pain are very catchy and the band relies on strong melodies, heavy guitar riffs, interesting arrangements and a singer who gives the songs extra atmosphere and feeling. It works very well.
There is a dark atmosphere to the music, in part due to lead singer Janne's voice, which has a melancholic edge. The lyrics also seem to deal with some darker issues but as usual no lyrics were sent with the promo, so it's hard to go into details.
Musically the band is pretty solid. Every instrument has a place in the sound and is given playroom. The guitar work is very good with plenty of solos, but I especially like the many little bass passages that pop up in several songs. There is of course still room for improvement and the band will probably become even tighter in the future.
The music is varied and has a kind of fresh feel to it. The mix of fast and slower songs is pretty good, but I overall prefer the fast ones because of their high energy level.
The album opens with the aggressive
For all the weak. It is one of the hardest and fastest song of the album and has a really good melody and a catchy chorus. The background vocals work very well and enhance the chorus.
Into the void continues straight ahead and is even more infectious. The chorus is once again brilliant and is one of my favorites of the album. The guitar solo is excellent too.
Things slow down a little with the mid-tempo
Made me believe. The huge chorus is one of the highlights and overall this song has a great atmosphere. A heavy riff and keys set the mood, while Janne's deep voice takes over and gives the song a special melancholic vibe.
Last man standing picks up the speed again and is one of the songs where the background vocals work really great. Again the chorus goes right in one ear and just doesn't seem to find a way out again.
One of my personal favorites is the album closer
With pain. The personal lyrics are sung with much emotion and a fantastic chorus binds the many tempo changes together.
Lost Faith is one of the slower and very atmospheric songs but it misses something to make it really stand out. Even though the instrumental passage helps, the song still feels a little drawn out.
The game keeps a fast pace throughout but feels a little too simple compared to many of the other songs. The guitar solo passage is the clear highlight for me.
Kneeling down is another one of the slower songs with a really cool chorus, but lacking something to keep up the interest for the entire almost 7 minutes.
Am I the only one who gets a strong
Iced Earth - Prophecy vibe during one specific part of
Until death do us part?
Some songs take a few more listens than others before they will stick in your mind but overall the quality is very high.
To get a taste of the music here is a direct link to the song
Dyecrest%20-%20For%20All%20the%20Weak.mp3">For all the weak from the
Dyecrest website.
The production is good but not perfect and there are some instances of what I can only call "guitar scratching". You can easily hear the fingers moving across the strings and it makes a somewhat distracting sound. This is especially audible in songs like
Into the void and
For all the weak.
Some songs are a little too chorus reliant but overall The way of pain is an impressive and varied debut by a band that shows huge promise. So I highly recommend you to check out
Dyecrest.
Favorite tracks: Into the void,
Dyecrest%20-%20For%20All%20the%20Weak.mp3">For all the weak, With pain, Made me believe, Last man standing
Written by
Steen Sunday, February 15, 2004
Show all reviews by SteenRatingsSteen: 7/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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