AT THE SOUNDAWN

A young band, At The Soundawn are from Modena, Italy and officially formed in 2005, recording their debut album, Red Square: We Come in Waves in 2006. It is now being released by Lifeforce Records.

A Neuro(I)sis influence resounds throughout this fine album. Though I dislike the name given to the genre, I guess post-metal would be the category to place this album. As for the Neuro(I)sis influence, I hear it in the vocal style, the atmosphere that dominates the songs (dreary and bleak), the construction of the tracks, and the style of playing. However, they do leave room for more than just a rehash of their influences to come in. At The Soundawn show their original ideas which are heard in the more experimental parts in the songs, where they let go from the rigid song structure or where they introduce a different sound. This is also evident in songs like Submerged where they use a faster pace, introduce intricacies when they manipulate the sound, and other such constructive elements that make their music more interesting. The vocals shift from the screams (a-la Isis) to cleaner singing that is usually more in the back of the mix. Both these facets to my ears go very well with the music and there is good balance between the two as well as the choice of which style to use when.

There is a great flow to Red Square: We Come In Waves; not only does it create soundscapes of power, melancholy and rage, but it is also very enjoyable to listen in terms of melody and creativity in the songwriting. Indeed, they sometimes go and develop this aspect further on. Take a song like One Day Before which is quite short (less than 4 minutes); it is a varied track, which goes from relatively peaceful shores to enraged peaks; what lies in the middle is the band's creativity and talent that is manifested in how they make it more than just empty riffs. This song fits their title of We Come In Waves as indeed the energy level behaves just so. This short song alone shows the promise this band carries. More than just flow, the power that At The Soundawn generate with their music is efficient and makes me want to hear more.

This is an album I will definitely be returning to. I look forward to more music from these guys, especially hoping they will progress on and take on a more individualized musical form.

3.5 stars in PA rating