Beyond Dawn

Beyond Dawn is one of those bands that, given a casual listen to their music, may well invoke the response "why are these guys featured on a metal site?". Indeed, much of their work, notably everything from mid-career onward, has very little to do with metal at all. But they are included here for a number of reasons. One, their early history is rooted in metal, and there are fleeting moments of those early influences on their later material. Two, the list of record labels that have released their albums is practically a who's-who of independent metal labels, leading the casual observer to think that this might be a real metal band. And three, they have a dark tone that at times does align itself to the metal ethic (they are, in effect, one of those "non-metal bands that metal fans might like"). Given all this, actually describing their music is far from easy, particularly given that they do mutate from album to album, but the style on 1999's Electric Sulking Machine is somewhat of a dark, melancholic synth-electro-pop sound, with understated vocals, the occasional presence of non-metal instruments such as a trombone, and a general feel of quirky experimentalism that never seems forced or out of control. It's really a fascinating listen, and again it's almost exclusively non-metal, yet still highly recommended to the adventurous listener. As for their other material, predictably the debut EP Longing For Scarlet Days is a bit more conventional and heavy, while Reverie is an acoustic affair, simpler yet still interesting in its approach. Clearly a band unafraid to explore whatever mood they seem fit, Beyond Dawn is a unique and compelling group.

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Discography

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