Reader Submissions: Final Dawn: The Crown of the Dead Eyes

I have been a big fan of the Finnish melodic death metal scene since I discovered it existed.  This is an area where melodic death metal has been able to continue without the backlash that has attached to the Swedish scene.  This is due mostly to the fact that bands in Finland still sound impressive and put out worthwhile releases.  Finland is definitely a hotbed for some incredible metal.

Enter Final Dawn, a band that has been around for about twelve years or so now and put out a number of small releases in that time.  This is a four track EP that the band recorded live in the studio and features three brand new songs and one re-recorded one ("Martyrs of Vanity").  It is my first exposure to the band.

Final Dawn is a melodic death metal band in the same vein as Amon Amarth.  That is, the sound is far more geared towards death metal than it is In Flames and other Gothenburg groups.  It is death metal with a lot of melody.  There are also strong elements from thrash metal and black metal present in the group's sound.

This is an impressively dynamic release from the Finnish trio.  Three of the songs are mid-paced, crunching and unrelenting tracks with strong riffs holding them together.  The other track, "The Crown of the Bled Eyes" starts out slower and builds into a truly powerful song.   It is the longest track on the release and definitely the most interesting because of the build and the ever-shifting dynamics.  The vocals are typically delivered in a somewhat raspy growl.

This is a decent EP.  I would have liked to hear the band really let loose with something really fast, but this was definitely entertaining.