Band:	Archetype
Album:	Dawning
Style:	Progressive power metal
Release date:	2002
A review by:	Malcolm

01. Final Day
02. Hands Of Time
03. Dawning
04. Dissension's Wake
05. Inside Your Dreams
06. Premonitions
07. Visionary
08. Arisen
09. The Mind's Eye
10. Years Ago
11. Reflection [bonus]

What would you do, if you had a band and you just recorded a full-length album you're not happy about, plus that your debut MCD was liked by almost the whole worlds Metal press?
I would guess you would do as Archetype, re-record and re-worked the whole album form the beginning.

This American band was formed by Chris Matyus (Guitars), Keith Zeigler (Drums) and Jamie Still (Bass) in Ohio, 1997, They recorded a demo in 1998 which they sent to some selected addresses, Danish Intromental Management took contact and contracted them.
They then added singer Greg Wagner to the line-up and released their MCD "Hands of Time" in 1999.
When they then were finish with their full-length album, both the band and the Management was unhappy with the result and their co-operation ended.
Archetype started re-record and re-work the whole album and finally released in 2002. And now it's re-released again, worldwide, through German label Limb Music, with two bonus tracks added.

Progressive Metal has never been my cup of tea, but the latest year I have started to like this advance kind of Metal and today I actually holding this genre high, and even higher when it's mixed with Power.
So at first "Dawning" was a hard album for me, very complex, and it took time to really get in into it.
But it was been worth every single spin, today I fully enjoy every single tone that Matyus and the guys plays.

Actually it reminds me a bit of Iced Earth, not the music but mainly the singer, Greg, his voice is in the same league as the "Legendary" ex-Iced Earth singer Matt Barlow, and to be true so isn't the rhythm guitars that different from Jon Schaffer.
But the music is very different, this is much more advance Progressive than Iced.

For me, is the over-progressive heavy-weightier "Hands of Times" the strongest card they have, and after hearing the 1998 version, I understand how much better this song is. It's much heavier, and the good parts are strengthen too, and Greg sings way much better, it's a true killer.
But almost the whole record has fascinated me; it's truly an album that a true Progger should check up. So all true Proggers, check it up!

Check Out: "Hands of Time", "Dissension's Wake", "Inside Your Dreams" & "Visionary".