Abysmal Dawn - Programmed to Consume
Posted on June 19, 2008 at 8:08 pm by admin
I had heard many good statements about the Abysmal Dawn album “From Ashes”, and I remember the MySpace songs being good. The band also seems to be attracting some attention and landing some decent tours, and we can’t forget that Relapse Records credit as well (though not quite as good as it used to be). Everything seems good of course, until you get into “Programmed to Consume”…
Simply put, “Programmed to Consume” is by-the-books death metal with standard thrashy riffs and speedy tremolo picking. The effort is lacking life, passion, and none of the songs feature anything resembling a hook. The only two real glimpses of creative hope was the acoustic break in the middle of the album, and the lyrical concepts spewed forth by vocalist Charles Elliot, which deal with some almost progressive content about science fiction and social commentaries. Charles is in fact the bands strongest point, with his growls resembling the powerful Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth, accented by high screams.
As it stands, I personally don’t think all is lost. There are some subtle nasty melodies riding beneath the action. Perhaps Abysmal Dawn just needs another album to hit their stride, as I can almost feel a yearning for something different bubbling beneath the surface. If that day chooses to rear it’s ugly head, then that will be the day that Abysmal Dawn will truly be a force to be reckoned with.Released May 13th, 2008
Abysmal Dawn at MySpace
Relapse Records at MySpace
Buy this album at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca
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