Band:	Before The Dawn
Album:	Rise Of The Phoenix
Style:	Melodic death metal
Release date:	April 2012

01. Exordium
02. Pitch-Black Universe
03. Phoenix Rising
04. Cross To Bear
05. Throne Of Ice
06. Perfect Storm
07. Fallen World
08. Eclipse
09. Closure
10. Unbreakable [2012 version] [bonus]
11. Deliverance [bonus]
12. Reflection [bonus]

Let's get this out of the way: If you are looking for something drastically different from the tried and tested formula of Finnish melodic death metal, you may close this browser window now. Melodic death metal has long since been hip and fashionable, and Before The Dawn has been around for over a decade. Despite the departure of two members from the last lineup since 2011's Deadstar Rising, Tuomas Saukkonen remains and is still the main creative force of the band.

Of course, there are still some easily recognisable differences, and a lot would miss Lars "Eikind" Eric Si's clean vocals, which has become an integral part of Before The Dawn's trademark sound. For those expecting guest vocalists doing the clean vocals, I've got news for you: Rise Of The Phoenix features only growls and no clean vocals. Nope. Nada. Apart from the kvlt people that would eagerly point out that melodic singing is for wusses (but such trying-to-prove-a-point people really should go stick to stuff like Brutal Truth and Agoraphobic Nosebleed, yet they are probably too kvlt to even dare), Tuomas's latest output doesn't suffer from comparisons with the band's back catalogue. Without Lars' vocals, one can easily be more focused on the guitar riffs, which are rather solid and memorable. Courtesy of the production, the melodic guitar leads actually SOAR, perhaps to compensate for being less ear-friendly in the vocal department, but it also has a unique tonality to it that makes it sound almost like bagpipes, giving the album a rather refreshing feel.

In spite of being less vocally dynamic, Rise Of The Phoenix has certainly earned its right to be among Before The Dawn's better albums. Some would inevitably feel bitter about the band abandoning their "signature sound" they have grown attached to, but one can't please everyone, can they?