Tracedawn - Tracedawn (2008)

I was blown away by this band's first release. Their sound is so well defined and technically amazing. Every track of this album has been greatly constructed and shows a high level of musicianship. And amazingly enough most band members are under 21 years old!

The band's sound has some resemblance to Into Eternity, but it has a more symphonic sound to it. The vocals are a very well balanced mix of clean and harsh vocals that don't get too annoying or sound bad at all.

There are some blazing fast guitar parts, complemented by melodic sections specially design for head banging. The drumming is also perfectly executed and fits the intensity of the music to perfection. On top of all of these features, the keyboards complement perfectly all the songs, creating a perfect blend of aggressiveness and melody.

While sometimes the songs sound similar to each other, I don’t find this as a problem since they are all pretty good. This is not a studio only band either, since I had the luck of catching them performing at Tuska 2008 and providing the same intensity that the album has, to a live setting.

In my opinion this band is one of the best up an coming acts from Finland. As a result of their debut album they are already confirmed to play this year at Wacken and the Rock Hard festival, both in Germany. They have also scored top endorsement deals, so this band has a very bright future in my opinion.

I can only wait impatiently for their next release, but for now, I'll be constantly listening to this brilliant debut album.

Country: Finland