| CD REVIEW After Dusk |
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Band : After Dusk (From the biography provided by the label, altered with additional info where available) This Athens based 5-piece Greek Metal act (comprising singer Paminos, guitarist Bill, keyboardist Theodore, bassist George and drummer Constantine, thís AD is not to be confused with that other Athens based band by the same name, which is a Gothic Rock outfit formed in 2004 that has, to daye, released late 2005’s Bob Katsionis produced demo-CD Primal Memorandum and a late 2007 promo-CD titled End Of Our Days) was formed in 1997, and the band soon found itself raiding their town’s venues and festivals, but decided to put things on hold in favor of studies to be done, and military services to be fulfilled. They returned in 2004, and immediately started work on their debut full-length Senses Of Dusk, which they self-released in early 2005. With its dark, gothic atmosphere, the album immediately caught the ear of anyone who got to hear it. Most probably, the material was a remnant of music the and had found important in its formative years, but with time the musicians had grown out of that...and so the band decided against promoting it as they had something a lot heavier in mind. They started work on sophomore album The Witch’s Pact, and self-released it in early 2006 to earn many good reviews ever since. In order to promote the album, the guys also made a video clip for the album’s track “Overspeed” which, alongside several live and rehearsal clips, is still (even if the clips take some time getting started) available at the band’s MySpace page. The band set to work on a new set of songs towards the end of 2007, self-releasing their 3rd full-length Hybris (yes, this very album we’re to talk about in this review here) in March 2008. Since the promo-album’s outing, the band received several positive reviews (which they posted as blogs on their MySpace page (with translation where necessary), and got some airplay from a select amount of radio stations scattered around the world. So…what exactly might’ve been the “something a lot heavier” the guys had in mind? Basically influenced by Metal’s classics Black Sabbath (Ozzy years), Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Saxon, the guys add a touch of Thrash coming from more recent influences such as Metallica, Pantera, Cradle Of Filth, and Rotting Christ. The end result of which is, I’m afraid to say, only a partial success to these fine-tuned ears! Instrumentally speaking, everything is hunky-dory, the guitarist alternating heavy riffs with some lead parts, backed by a very nice and unobstrucive atmospheric keyboarder…whom doés get a chance to shine as well here and there! The rhythm section is simply tight, and occasionally even the bassist gets to give some of his best. Right…so you must’ve guessed by now that what’s wrong about this band, is its singer!? You’re right there buddy, because this screaming guy frequently (and it pains me to have to say this, but then truth hàs to be told…right?) makes the neighborhood tomcats’ midnight serenades sound like enchanting siren songs by comparison! Just to give the guy sóme credit, he gives a real fair rendition of Black Sabbath’s “N.I.B.” (not on this album, but witnessable by watching one of the rehearsal videos), but otherwize he should…darn, and who am I to tell anyone élse to do anything whatsoever, eh! As long as it keeps the guys happy, as long as there’s tone-deaf people out there into what he’s doing…well, why don’t he simply continue to do what he does, eh? My advice though, would be for him to follow some singing lessons, just to learn how to control his voice. Besides the several videos, you can also find 3 songs off this album and an equal amount of the previous one at myspace.com/riseafterdusk. If Ozzy-like vocals sound appealing to you, be sure to check out the band’s music! Obviously, my evaluation of this band as far as the rating is concerned is somewhat “downed” by the singer’s vocal capacities (or lack thereof). 75/100 Tony. |