Van Canto - Dawn Of The Brave review
| Band: | Van Canto |
| Album: | Dawn Of The Brave |
| Style: | A Cappella, Power metal |
| Release date: | February 07, 2014 |
| A review by: | R Lewis |
Disc I
01. Dawn Of The Brave
02. Fight For Your Life
03. To The Mountains
04. Badaboom
05. The Final Countdown [Europe cover]
06. Steel Breaker
07. The Awakening
08. The Other Ones
09. Holding Out For A Hero [Bonnie Tyler cover]
10. Unholy
11. My Utopia
12. Into The West [Lord Of The Rings Soundtrack]
13. Paranoid [Black Sabbath cover]
Disc II [digibook edition bonus]
01. If I Die In Battle [orchestral version]
02. My Voice [orchestral version]
03. Take To The Sky [orchestral version]
04. Neuer Wind [Jovian Spin remix]
05. Lost Forever [acoustic version]
06. Last Night Of The Kings [choir version]
My first contact with Van Canto has been, to be honest, pretty painful. A classmate gave me his earphones suggesting me to listen to the "Master Of Puppets" cover, off their 2010 album Tribe Of Force. As my reaction was something like "Wow! These guys use their mouths better that your sister!", I went back home with the aching memory of a punch in the stomach and the name of Van Canto well written in my to-check-out mental list. From that very day, I've been a fervent fan of the German band.
This was to say that, as a fan, what the group showed prior to the release of Dawn Of The Brave have been decidedly worrying. Everything, from the cover art, with the weird superhero theme, to the promo single "Badaboom" seemed to be leading to an album that would be too fun-dedicated. Not that these guys have always been so grave, but they always respected rational limits, that this time were failing.
From this not-so-uncommon review structure, you'll already know by now what I'm going to say: luckily, I was wrong, since Dawn Of The Brave is a really good continuation of the Van Canto legacy.
Despite everyone bashing this band as a gimmick, this album shows once again these guys' unique talent of writing catchy, fun power metal leaving guitars at home. Like every other album of theirs, this last shows its pearls in the beginning, being every track until the wonderfully mastered cover of "The Final Countdown" an instant Van Canto hit - yes, also "Badaboom", in the three-and-a-half-minutes studio version, becomes a really immediate sing-along anthem.
As always, the second half slightly drags the album down, despite some picks of quality as in the Bonnie Tyler and Lord Of The Rings covers and in the power metal fun "The Awakening", lead by an increasingly influential Inga Scharf; while the ones who remind with pleasure the ballad "Last Night Of The Kings" will find their probable favorite in "The Other Ones". While in the last album the covers, usually a strength point for this band, were somehow not up to standards, this time they shine once again in the track-list, enriching an already good offering. From pop rearrangements to hard rock tracks dressed as epic metal, there's something to everyone's liking.
Almost three years have passed since Break The Silence, and this may be a sign of the ideas slowly running away from the band, but most likely I'm just wandering around with my imagination, since Van Canto stand strong once again with Dawn Of The Brave.
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Written on 22.01.2014 by
Hopefully you won't agree with me, diversity of opinions is what makes metal so beautiful and varied. So... critics and advices absolutely welcome. |
Comments
| R Lewis Posts: 936  |
* Grabs popcorn and waits for the usual Van Canto haters
---- We could be so much more than we are. Stop.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
Well since nobody has stepped up to the plate yet I'll be that guy, although I'll try to choose my words carefully. I think this gimmick has gone way too far, even though you specifically point out in the review that they have a unique talent for writing good power metal. I would argue the opposite here (keeping in mind I don't listen to enough power metal to compare quality) in that their material has always sounded completely flat, plastic, and devoid of emotion - and the songs themselves are so simple and formulaic they might as well be considered pop "hits". The review gets your point across and I'm glad someone out there finds this stuff worthwhile, but I seriously can't get into a band whose sole talent is singing mundane riffs.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Nemo Atkins Posts: 257 |
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| Vombatus Potorro Posts: 2397  |
I was going to say something similar to Killjoy (but not as well explained  ). One of those bands I can't stand at all. Although I do find quite admirable that they managed to survive more than the initial surprise effect when they first started.
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| R Lewis Posts: 936 |
Written by Nemo Atkins on 22.01.2014 at 16:41 Ehm... I'm afraid it was - obviously related only to the sister Written by Nemo Atkins on 22.01.2014 at 16:41 That's the initial sensation I had too. I can ensure you that samples do not give the right idea of what the album is about: this is the reason why I wrote about my "worries".
---- We could be so much more than we are. Stop.
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| Nemo Atkins Posts: 257 |
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| R Lewis Posts: 936 |
Written by Nemo Atkins on 22.01.2014 at 17:05 Nah. Jokes about sisters/moms were common in my class
---- We could be so much more than we are. Stop.
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| Saiyanity Posts: 178  |
My problem with Van Canto has always been that I can't take them serious, I just find them too funny. I have their "Hero" album on my iPod for solely comedic purposes. Quite possibly the most unintentionally funny band out there.
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| boo-boo Posts: 208  |
Written by Saiyanity on 22.01.2014 at 17:18 Yep, same trouble here. Perhaps it's just my prejudice (or something of that sort), but to me they seem more like actors or stage performers.
---- World won't end today - it's already tomorrow in Australia.
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| Fat & Sassy! Elite Posts: 3857  |
Written by Saiyanity on 22.01.2014 at 17:18 Maybe it's just me, but I think the whole concept of the band seems pretty damn tongue-in-cheek. Like the tongue is almost piercing through the cheek.
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| Boxcar Willy REEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Posts: 9217  |
THIS IS BAD AND I DONT LIKE IT SO UR STUPID FOR WRITING THIS REVIEW AND UR BAD LOL
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| Saiyanity Posts: 178 |
Written by Fat & Sassy! on 22.01.2014 at 23:48 Very possible, but for me part of the humor has always been that they seem to take themselves so damn seriously. Whether or not that's intentional, I don't know, I just enjoy it.
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| Boxcar Willy REEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Posts: 9217 |
Written by [user id=101272] on 23.01.2014 at 02:56 Because I was oh-so serious. I'm fairly certain Cynic of K7 outweigh me heavily, also.
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| Mattybu Posts: 2589  |
Good review as always Mr Lewis, Van Canto is a good choice if you need a catchy tune every now and then and the new album sounds much the same.
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| R Lewis Posts: 936 |
Written by Irritable Ted on 24.01.2014 at 00:21 It depends of what kind of friend you're talking about. There are friends which I'd feel embarassed just making them listen to Kamelot's The Black Halo (one of my all-time favorites of the genre) while there are other to which I'd suggest Gloryhammer without many problems. Van Canto isn't an exception.
---- We could be so much more than we are. Stop.
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| Warman Erotic Stains Posts: 7695  |
I actually look forward to this album. Van Canto is like the shittiest thing I've ever heard, me and my friends laughing our asses off to the "music". We could use some new songs. "The Final Countdown" will surely be just as bad as the other covers. Sure, they're talented but there's absolutely nothing with this band that I find good.
---- 
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