— / Dawning – Split

----dawning-split

Preposterous Creations put out a split between reclusive act – – – and by their own description, long-standing but frequently interrupted American band Dawning, who re-recorded their signature song “Divine Arrival of the Massive Hoof.” The result makes for interesting listening and aims to be obscure and withdrawn, which for the most part enhances the experience.

– – – are clearly aiming for the Deathspell Omega crowd, but using a more traditional heavy metal attack that might draw comparisons to Cradle of Filth and early Dimmu Borgir. However, what this band has over the art-rock crowd is that they believe in songs that still move with a sense of purpose toward clarifying a repeated rhythm and melody. This both brings them closer to rock, and away from the overly-configured aesthetic of later black metal. Most of these riffs would fit on a Fates Warning album and count as both heavy and interestingly melodic, but its melodies are a different story entirely and would be at home on a Celtic rock or world music album. The mixture of the two results in less of an oil-on-water fusion than heavy metal mixes normally do, mainly because it sticks to a solid basis of 1970s post-NWOBHM riffing technology.

Dawning brings out one track, but it’s a long and epic one; this is basically funeral doom metal with a 1980s Gothic influence. I realize that all 1980s is new again since there are similar political, economic and social conditions, but “Divine Arrival of the Massive Hoof” seems like it comes by this influence honestly. The result is dragging guitars under ringing keyboards that move into riffs with a covert groove that expand into more battle-drawn riffing. From this lighter faire, it returns to the dark and accompanies it with keyboards of the Vincent Price-meets-Summoning variety. As a result, it creates a dark atmosphere with the explorative inner nature of Gothic and industrial.

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34 thoughts on “— / Dawning – Split”

  1. George Wellington says:

    To the writer:
    I’ve always struggled with how you apply the term heavy metal to bands like Dissection when everybody else is calling it black metal or even death metal as the band call their musice on the liner notes.
    Speaking of Deathspell Omega, this old band HIRILORN shared members with them. What is your opinion on HIRILORN ?
    song:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3vVceOAY14

    1. If I took the first Iron Maiden album, and re-recorded it playing through heavy distortion and reverb, would it be black metal?

      1. tiny midget says:

        yes brett, u should definitely re-record it. I shall support this idea.

        1. EDS says:

          Brett Stevens is a hero on guitar.

  2. steve says:

    thanks everyone for taking the time to read / review about this . I do want to make one point which is that in 1996 when Bud and I first did a studio recording of “Divine Arrival” – there was no genre called funeral doom back then . at least not that I was aware of .

    1. EDS says:

      I believe the members of bands playing doom at the BPM range of 60-100 did indeed call their music “funeral doom”. At least that’s what I am led to believe. I could be wrong however, as I am a young guy and I was not into metal back in 1996, so in effect, I hope this stimulates some discourse on the subject.

    2. paul says:

      Are you saying the genre didn’t exist or that it wasn’t called Funeral Doom at the time? Because it looks to me like there sure were Funeral Doom bands releasing albums prior to 1996.

  3. Ron Jeremy says:

    According to Metal- Archives:
    “Steve is now a porn star and goes by the stage name ‘Stevie Boy’. ”
    http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Dawning/74642

    1. John Galt says:

      This is old news, dude.

  4. steve says:

    what I am saying is that I went to about 100 metal shows and listened to hundreds of releases at that time and I never saw or heard of one band that was called funeral doom . if you retroactively search the entire globe with the internet yes you can find one or two obscure acts from that time who retroactively apply that term. I am telling you I have been a metal head in bands acive in the underground since 1994 with pale existence. and no that genre did not exist. you had bands like disembowlment grief my dying bride , winter , noothegrush that played slow . none of these were called funeral doom

    1. tiny midget says:

      Steve , what do i need to do to become a porn star just like u?
      although fecal midget p0rn is frowned upon this site i could focus on epic transcendental classicall- influenced porn exclusively!

    2. Robert says:

      So what? Do you want a pat on the back, Steve? Either way, Skepticism did a better job at funeral doom than you did. Sorry you can’t realize this.

  5. steve says:

    I want to hear from people who were playing at the time in 1996 . not from people retroactively searching the web and applying a term retroactively.

  6. steve says:

    what year do you guys think “funeral doom” started ? I hadn’t even heard that term until 5 or 6 years ago . yet somehow I’ve been playing funeral doom for 18 years??
    this tread says the first funeral doom band was in 1995 by the way (was this band globally known?). dawning was recording this type stuff on 4 track in 95 too
    http://www.doommantiaforum.com/t1258-who-was-the-first-funeral-doom-band

  7. steve says:

    the closest thing I ever heard to the term funeral doom until 5 or 6 years ago was in the old sheet music for the black Sabbath song war pigs it denotes it as a funeral march .

  8. steve says:

    1) people do not want to give my band any credit for having been playing funeral doom/ blackened doom early on
    2) because funeral doom is so trendy now it is hard for young people to imagine a time where it either did not exist or where it was so obscure and unpopular that it may as well have not existed

  9. steve says:

    read this article the drummer from Ludicra names dawning as a pretty early bay area black metal band . if we were early on the black metal scene then you know we were extra early on funeral doom.
    http://www.bonereader.com/2011/10/14/interview-with-aesop-dekker/

  10. steve says:

    also the males in porn they will give us different names for different shoots to the males . some studios called me mike , also went by father alito , steve nasty etc. I don’t work in that industry anymore and other actors took the name stevie boy since. if you are curious I was father alito in xxxhorror or you can see me on bang bros fuckteam 5 in segment called pumping iron or with sindee Jennings in handjob winner .

    1. tiny midget says:

      i shall be inspired to start the first funeral porn band, with a little blackened metal, cuz u know, once u go black …
      ask Fenriz, he knows…

  11. steve says:

    link to some old dawning demos. sound deteriorated over the years
    http://www.earth-dog.com/lounge/viewtopic.php?p=212683

  12. steve says:

    you could call yourself evil magic mike

    1. tiny midget says:

      so when are u going to tour?

  13. steve says:

    i am having a hell of a time getting the band going live honestly .

    right now its me playing drums keys and singing , and practicing with two bassists . it sounds like tangerine dream crossed with man is the bastard right now . not sure what people would make of it live (with this instrumentation).
    I was not intending the instrumentation to be this unusual .
    auditioning guitarists and speaking to a female vocalist about having her go over a few tracks for the next upcoming release. any opinions on whether female vocals would be good or bad for these type songs??

    1. Sindee J. says:

      I am guessing you don’t realize that your blackened / doom metal tunes are great. Why wouldn’t you want to continue on a full length with tunes similar to your split?

      1. That seems like the logical next step to me. However, it’s hard to keep a band together.

    2. metal-archives.com gave me HIV says:

      No female vocals!

      They make the metal flaccid. Play what you’re playing but put more penis into it until all your balls and heart is inside your own creation.

      1. metal-archives.com gave me HIV says:

        I still recommend you give her the Steve Cefala penetration, but not if shes fat.

  14. steve says:

    Thanks Sin. :) so we do have a full length recorded already coming out on the same record label .
    some of it is faster heres an example of that from the next release . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfUTqrSeCJ4

  15. steve says:

    and heres a doom one off the upcoming full length: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u82y93yi7Ng

  16. steve says:

    hey Robert i don’t need a pat on the back . i get blowjobs from hot chicks instead.

  17. steve says:

    have you written any blackened doom ? ever? in your whole life??

  18. Jarri says:

    About funeral doom. The finnish band Thergothon recorded the album “Stream from the Heaven” in 1992. They are somewhat pioners of the funeral doom sound. However I don’t think they didn’t label as that.

    An album I higly recommend though.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqtwt8OlhEw

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