Dawn of the Five Suns is the latest release from German band Kambrium, and let’s just say, it is epically grand. Most of the tracks are like a movie score, weaving, melodic and powerful.
It’s a grand release with a great guitar tone and flawless production. I’m a fan of the interludes between the heavy and the soft, the sort of stuff you would expect in an orchestra setting. These sections are written well and sit well within the mix. The solo work is fantastic and I love the singing voice. The death voice could stand to be a little stronger, but that is a small gripe.
This style of music is seeing a bit of a renaissance recently, so this release is quite timely.
So, will Dawn of the Five Suns be crowd-pleasing? Look, get a bunch of drunk sweaty men together who know the words (and even if they don’t), they’ll have a great time. It’s the heavy metal equivalent of an old-time English pub singalong, or as Hollywood would have me believe.
Kambrium themselves have set this scenario up by including instrumental (or karaoke) versions of the songs on the release, at least on Spotify. But still, there is something a little off with this sort of metal for me. It’s produced well, it’s written well, it’s performed well, so it is difficult to fault there. Is it original? Not overly, but does that matter with this style really? I could be just a picky reviewer, so maybe don’t take much notice of me, but it just seems like this is what happens when a metal band is sponsored by Disney.
Suitable for those who plan to slaughter dragons, but prefer were stuck at the bar drinking drink copious amounts of ale.
Release Year: 2018
Label: Napalm Records
Category: Album
Country: Germany
Reviewed by Liam Frost-Camilleri
