DAWN OF SILENCE – Moment Of Weakness

Being an Iron Maiden fan these days can be hard. On one hand, fans want them to show progress and change a bit here and there so their music doesn’t get too boring. On the other hand, one longs for the traditional, typical sounds that shaped Metal in the early days. And, when a new album from legends is released, it is always a celebrated event, but never meets the deeper expectations. But, that leaves the desire unfulfilled, and so once in a while a band appears that unexpectedly soothes the aching heart.

The latest remedy for the unsatisfied Maiden disciples comes from Sweden and is called Dawn Of Silence. The four young Northmen, who started as an Iron Maiden coverband (!), made themselves a name in the underground with a couple of demos that were received with more than polite applause. As still no label signed them, they decided to take matters in their own hands and entered a studio with Jonas Kjelgren (Scar Symmetry) as producer and engineer to make Moment Of Weakness come to life.

Years of playing Harris–Murray–Smith riffs do not go by without leaving a mark, and so from the beginning the resemblance to Iron Maiden is a mighty shadow lurking over most of their compositions. But, from the first note of “Hands Of Fate,” you’ll find yourself wide-eyed and smiling. This was what fans wanted the new Iron Maiden album to deliver, and is where their heroes failed! Gripping dual guitar leads are the thread holding this album together. Patrik Johansson’s clear voice and the melodic choruses let you nod your head and whistle to every song, even when you listen to it for the first time.

Dawn Of Silence serve 12 compositions that are probably as original as hearing a flute in a Jethro Tull song, but almost each single one beats the average Maiden track of the last ten years … something that becomes obvious when they use the trademarks of the originals like in “Point Of No Return,” “Fire & Ice,” “Midnight,” or “Fear Of Life.” At times, a bit of variety lets them drift away from the blatant copy and sail the seas of German Metal like Squealer, Domain, Symphorce, or Accept (“Moment Of Weakness,” “Misguided Life”), or the typical American Metal performed mainly during the eighties by bands like Fifth Angel, Iced Earth, and Crimson Glory (“Long Time Dead”), even included are slight Prog influences (“Dark Scenes”).

The only point of criticism is the sound. Obviously, the four guys did not have much money to produce this album, and especially the guitar sound is … well, very old school. But, when one keeps in mind that this is basically just a demo CD, which only after recording was picked up by a label and distribution company, it is easy to overlook those shortcomings and enjoy the album thoroughly … and that you will do if you like Melodic Metal like early Iron Maiden, early Leatherwolf, Machine Men, Powervice, or Fifth Angel.