Nightmare Records has come up with another solid addition to their roster with US power/prog/classic metal band Sacred Dawn and their new release Gears of the Machine...A New Beginning. 13 songs, filled with plenty of classic styled metal riffs, show that this four piece band (Lothar Keller - Vocals/Guitar, John Vitale - Guitar, Joey Vega - Bass, Brad "Sabbath" Sabathne - Drums) have a good understanding of metal's history as well as current trends. While there are plenty of raging power metal pieces here, such as "I'm the One", "Walls of Jericho", and "Master of Thought", and "(Worlds Apart) The Desire", the band also shows their mellower, more progressive side on tracks like "Hatred", "Soldier's Plea", and "Shadows", mixing catchy vocal melodies with textured, intricate arrangements, and plenty of atmosphere. Of course, most will probably gravitate towards the riff-heavy old school styled metal thumpers like "Time Will Tell (The Man)", "Gears Of The Machine", "Approval", "White Road Black Sun", all of which have a certain Iced Earth/Judas Priest/Metal Church/Nevermore feel to them. Lead singer Keller for the most part does a fine job throughout the CD, his mix of husky mid-range and the occasional high-pitched wail working well within the confines of these songs, and on the few instances where he sounds a little off, I think it's more due to the vocal melodies that were written just aren't suitable for his vocal style.
Didn't think I'd get through this review without mentioning the band's cover of The Charlie Daniels Band classic "Devil Went Down to Georgia" did ya? Well, the band put an interesting metal spin on this Southern Rock classic, and it's an intriguing listen, but I'd stick to original material in the future if I were them. Ultimately, Gears of the Machine...A New Beginning is a solid metal album, not the most original release you will hear this year, but certainly it's an honest, heavy affair with plenty of melody and fine playing. Can't go wrong with that!
Track Listing
- (Worlds Apart) The Desire
- Master Of Thought
- I'm The One
- Hatred
- Walls Of Jericho
- Approval
- Asmodeus
- Soldier's Plea
- Shadows
- Time Will Tell (The Man)
- White Road Black Sun
- Gears Of The Machine
- Devil Went Down To Georgia
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