Review of Dawn of Azazel - "The Tides of Damocles"

INDEPENDENT INSANITY

By: Geoff Teach

Dawn of Azazel may be a relatively new name to some of us here in the States, but on the tech death outfit’s home island-nation of New Zealand, it is well-known and respected. Formed in 1999, Dawn of Azazel is certainly no stranger to the grind of the music industry, be it at home or abroad. Consequently, despite past hiatuses and inevitable lineup changes, April of this year saw the independent release of the act’s fourth full-length album, The Tides of Damocles.

Sounding similar to a Decapitated/Soreption mash-up, The Tides of Damocles has quickly become one of my favorite releases of the first half of 2015. Dawn of Azazel has turned loose an album that is both engaging and blazingly heavy in The Tides of Damocles, and I find myself unable to go for too long a span of time before I’m pulled back to listen to this monster release. Nothing is quite as it seems. The vocals are hard and gruff, yet also melodic and true. The guitars are distorted and almost predictably technical, but also phased and thoughtful. The rhythm section is accomplished and capable, and yet is also playfully chaotic. Like a captivating and well-written murder-mystery, I cannot seem to put this puzzlingly spectacular release down.

Clocking in at just over forty-eight minutes, The Tides of Damocles kicks off with the aptly named “Strike First, Strike Hard, Strike Often”, and immediately, Dawn of Azazel sqaunders no time in kicking ass and laying waste to the ears of their listeners. Coursing along this album’s winding path, some of the prize picks include “Vassalplasty”, “Forever Enduring, Always Ready”, “Controlled Burn” (my favorite cut of all), and “The Eagle’s Grasp”. Honestly though, every single track on this release is terrifically composed, spectacularly produced, and rich in depth and poignancy. In short, Dawn of Azazel’s The Tides of Damocles is a bad ass beast of an album that I urge you to listen to, posthaste.

Keep it Metal! \m/

To listen to “Controlled Burn” from The Tides of Damocles, just press play below!