Lithium Dawn – ‘Tearing Back The Veil I: Ascension’ [Review]
This is one of the most inspiring metal albums of 2015.
With the first part of Tearing Back The Veil, Lithium Dawn have set out to stretch the boundaries of tech-heavy progressive metal. It’s an ambitious task, to say the least; with luminaries such as Meshuggah, Karnivool, Periphery, Tool and Tesseract already forging new paths into the future, it’s easy to overlook the underground underdogs out there, and assume that everyone bar the legends are paying lip service to progression while actually playing catch-up.
One of the most attractive aspects of the prog world is the fact that anything goes. It’s like watching a Thunderbirds rerun from the ’60s: “Anything can happen in the next half hour!” We expect twists, turns, and tangents – but Lithium Dawn don’t just live up to that expectation. They go beyond it, into the realm of the transformative.
This is an album that will make you stop and ask, “Hang on – is this metal?“
Put it this way, because I’m not going to spoil it totally. Beyond Tearing Back The Veil I: Ascension‘s none-more-prog title, you can look forward to confident, self-assured, and respectful nods in the direction of the luminaries listed above. But there’s also a shit-ton of genuinely exceptional reggae, dub, and electronica mixed amongst the brutality, so fucking seamlessly that the boundaries between such disparate-on-paper elements get negated altogether.
This album is a musical melting pot. No wonder I love it.
Pretzel-like polyrhythms; mind-shattering shredding courtesy of the inimitable Plini (Decimator) and a pristinely paced solo spot from Sithu Aye (Point Of No Return); utterly unstoppable grooves; crush and uplift and a precisely measured amount of Lithium Dawn’s own-brand secret sauce. This album has it all.
It bears repeating: This is one of the most inspiring metal albums of 2015. Mark December 5 on your calendar, clear some space in your schedule, and get ready.
TMMP RATING: 97% (Essential Listening!)
Links / Listen
Tearing Back The Veil I: Ascension drops December 5. Lithium Dawn discuss the making of the album, and their plans for 2016, in this TMMP interview!
Lithium Dawn on Facebook and Twitter.
Sithu Aye on Facebook and Twitter.
Plini on Facebook and Twitter.
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3 responses to “Lithium Dawn – ‘Tearing Back The Veil I: Ascension’ [Review]”
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This album is a fantastic result of the hard work! These young men are so passionate about their music and it shows! They did not compromise and their “perfectionism” made the album what it is – something awesome to listen to :)
Hey Anna – thanks for commenting! Totally agree :)
Hey Anna – thanks for commenting! Totally agree :)