Band:	Dakesis
Album:	The New Dawn
Style:	Progressive power metal
Release date:	March 10, 2016
A review by:	Susan

01. Overture: The Darkest Hour
02. The New Dawn
03. Betrayal
04. Destined For The Flame
05. The Great Insurrection
06. To Conquer Or Die
07. Intermezzo: Meridian
08. Judgement Day
09. The Sacrifice
10. Autumn
11. The Seventh Sky
12. Call To Freedom
13. By The Fading Light

Crystal clear, energetic power metal, light on symphonics, heavy on guitars, and topped with a very strong, mid-range voice. So, what went wrong?

I've spent many days listening to this album and waiting for the right words to come so I may describe the awesomeness of it all. It just dawned on me, however, that that'll never happen. Dakesis, though much improved from past incarnations, and kicking not a small amount of ass on this record, have not yet tipped the scales from good/average/OK power metal to the incredible band they so clearly have the potential to be.

Initially, I thought they had. And I wanted them to. For one thing, they give us some sweet guitar work. Adam Harris works alone in this department and manages to create a wonderfully dense sound. Nice solos and leads pop up here and there but what he really brings is a blanket of heavy sound. Bassist Amie Chatterley creates a partnership with him in this area, as well as shining on her own: she nicely lends a lurking darkness to several songs.

Of course people will notice the vocals right away, which are both bold and lovely, if too-often sitting just below the pitch on held notes. There is much that Gemma Lawler does so well, not the least of which is bringing a very beautiful and joyous character to this record. Lyrics are fantasy-based and easy to follow, based on her soaring voice and the inclusion of the ole sing-a-long choruses.

When listening to Dakesis, I'm primarily reminded of Ancient Bards or Thy Majestie; in fact these Brits do a great job of convincing us they're actually from Italy! Long before this record ends, sadly, I often tire of Dakesis and seek out the aforementioned bands instead. With The New Dawn, the energy level is high on some tracks while severely lacking on too many other very similar songs. Instead of highlighting their vast qualities, Dakesis drowns themselves in an ocean of what makes them same-y and tiresome.

Which leads me to....

This could have been a top power metal album of 2016 if it would ever end. Why do artists insist on putting every single song on their album? Does no one hire a producer anymore? Someone objective needs to listen to your music and say, "Keep these 8 awesome songs and save the rest for EPs, bonus tracks, or THE GARBAGE." Trim the fat, bands, please, for the love of Dio, trim the damn fat. This is AN HOUR AND 17 MINUTES of genre metal. Dude, you all know I love my power metal like crazy but that's just too much. It's 13 tracks, most of which are 4-5 minutes, two are around 10 minutes and one is nearly another 18 minutes. Classic arithmetic problem for you: if metalhead x is on a train going north at 65 MPH and metalhead y is going southeast at 45 MPH, how much overly homogenous metal can they really handle before they jump off and kill themselves?

Alas, some songs are just excellent. If The New Dawn were a 6-8 track album of their best pieces I'd be losing my shit over it. Yes. Shit would be lost. But instead they showcase their faults on track after track of filler, obscuring the great music they created here as well.

Until next time, dear Dakesis. I eagerly await your masterpiece. I know it's coming.