The Dawn Razor - 2024 - In Sublime Presence

(64:56; M&O Music)

Track list [CD Edition]:
1. Point Nemo 3:30
2. Refuse Tomorrow 3:47
3. The Wooden Idol 5:12
4. Fiery Dawn 4:10
5. The Lord and the Crow 6:36
6. Chiaroscuro Italiano 4:21
7. Tropical Survival 4:59
8. A Change of Heaven's Mandate 4:23
9. Untouched Boundaries 5:54
10. Pico da Neblina 4:24
11. Are You Dead Yet? 3:56
12. Gateways 4:54
13. Never Fade Away 4:28
14. Chiaroscuro Italiano [Italian Version] 4:22

Line-up:
Not stated


French project The Dawn Razor appears to have formed sometime around 2017, and is the creative vehicle of composer and musician Sylvain Spanu. Two albums have been issued under this moniker so far. "In Sublime Presence" is the most recent of these, and was released through French label M&O Music in the fall of 2024.

I couldn't track down any line-up information about this album, which leads me to believe that at least as a studio venture The Dawn Razor is a one-man band. Since I see references to the band also performing live, obviously there will be additional musicians involved in those circumstances.

I find this album to be an interesting combination of several different elements, but where the focus appear to be on songs that are hard, tight and firm throughout, but with melodic details added in various phases to create variation and a bit of a different vibe in the different parts of the songs.

At the most intense we have high paced and high intensity sections with distorted vocals to match that sets off in more of an extreme metal oriented tradition, something which is a recurring element in most of the compositions here. Just about as recurring are sections where the pace and intensity are loosened up a bit. Good, old fashioned thrash metal with as well as without a groove element is another mainstay here, and some of the songs also play around with passages that have a bit more of a traditional heavy metal inclination. And on occasion we do get some galloping riff and rhythm displays that point to a little bit of a possible power metal inspiration too.

The variety in style orientations are showcased in the guitar solo department too, with cutting and flowing guitar solo runs both being very much present and accounted for, with occasional details that does give me a bit of a neo-classical metal association. The vocals also come in a few different guises, from distorted extreme metal style to more aggro as well as more melodic clean vocals. And as a bit of an outlier in the songs department we also get a gentle, atmospheric laden violin and guitar interlude, which presents a sweet little break from the hard and firm landscapes that otherwise define this album.

For my case taste in music this isn't an exceptional production on any level though. It is a well made creation of the kind I could listen to at any point in time I suspect, with the songs kept fairly short and concise so that none of the songs ever outstay their welcome. None of the songs manage to grab my attention to the point of me getting the desire to stop the album and play a song just one more time before moving on though.

If you have a taste and an affection for albums that revolve around tight, firm and hard songs with a bit of a melodic seasoning and an energetic execution, and that play around with impulses from extreme metal, thrash metal and traditional heavy metal in a few different manners, I'd suspect that you should be among the ideal audience for the landscapes that are explored on this production.

Olav M. Björnsen, September 2024

Links:
https://thedawnrazor.com/
https://www.m-o-music.com/