Before the Dawn - Stormbringers (2023)

Opening with the title track, the band immediately creates a splash with ravaging and superbly catchy guitars alongside Johannes Andersson’s characteristic snarl and thumping bass guitar lines. Quickly creating that heavy and yet melodic bombastic vibe, the band’s firing on all cylinders as things get catchier and darker with the playful “Axis Mundi”.

Setting a mysterious and yet engaging modern vibe with the opener “The Dawn”, the band really sets back into their heavy and yet very melodic ways with “Destroyer”. As always, Tuomas and Juho Räihä are experts in creating catchy and engaging guitar driven melodies. However, the clean vocals are just not really ideal. Don’t get us wrong Paavo Laapotti is a good singer, but not the Before the Dawn singer we expected. I know we are a bit biased as we are huge Eikind fans, but always have an open mind. We like Finnish mopey vocals, like Mikko Heikkilä and Tuomas Tuominen, but these just don’t do it for us.That being said, we'll just focus the rest of the review on the music and harsh vocals.

The quintessential “Reveries” and “Downhearted” have that signature Before the Dawn guitar/drum sound we love from their previous releases “Deathstar Rising” and “Soundscape of Silence”. Both “Chains” and “Divided” feature some excellent melodic moments alongside a hefty dose of growls, making them quite perfect to headbang. For those that like a heavier affair, “The Dark” and “Chaos Star” are two excellent songs filled with intense drumming and some excellent guitar melodies.

As we close with “The Weight”, we would have loved this release even more if it only used growls. The band’s musical core is intact and even adds some additional modern touches to make it even better. Filled with melancholy and melody, “Stormbringers” is a very solid addition to the Before the Dawn discography and many fans will greatly enjoy it. Other fans will probably just shit on the vocals and won’t move past that, but we recommend you give it a chance.

Label: Napalm Records

Release: June 30th, 2023

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Country: Finland