Lawry, Kevin: The Shadows Stole The Dawn

Having initially come to notice in epic doomsters Silent Winter and Khthon, before moving on to the more progressively flavoured Crowned In Earth, multi-instrumentalist Kevin Lawry may catch out some of his followers with his solo offering, The Shadows Stole The Dawn. Overtly progressive in style, the offset isn't doom here, instead a folky, singer/songwriter edge is Lawry's chosen weapon, a Camel, or even very early Genesis style hinted at. Yet with the folk side pushed forward on occasion, the more obvious progressive comparisons often become mere hints rather than clear links. Everything from New Wave to Opeth reminded of for a few seconds here and there.

Lawry provides all the pensive and considered instrumentation on the album, proving adept at all he turns his hand to, keyboard passages adding colour to his intentionally simple guitar approach. Opening track 'Broken Arrow' is a prime example, clean strumming setting a morose theme, recorder like keys adding a mournful melodic structure. Initially it's enigmatic and full of character (albeit a less than exuberant character). However where things begin to go awry is through Lawry's vocals, a speak in tune style bringing no focal point to music that feels like it needs a clear counterpoint to lift it from the gloom. Factor in that the clean guitar strum from the opening cut is the driving force behind nearly everything else on offer and what should be an interesting journey through some personal, heartfelt tales, quickly becomes all too forgettable. Lawry does try to add some colour to proceedings through his varied keyboard approach, however with these being mere stopping off points in between similar journeys, the effect isn't as long lasting as is really required to keep you hooked in and engaged.

The production is a little dull and lifeless, and while it feels like Lawry is looking to emphasise the dark, hopelessness of what he's trying to portray, in the end it causes a disconnect that's hard to overcome. What could have been fragile and mysterious becoming singular, unbending and disappointingly uneventful.

Track Listing
1. Broken Arrow
2. Fracture
3. The River
4. Faith
5. Tale Of The Drowning Man
6. The Bitter Wind
7. The Shadows Stole The Dawn

Added: November 20th 2016
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Kevin Lawry on Facebook
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Language: english

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