Gates of Dawn - Sepia

Last Updated on Monday, 28 January 2013 14:01 Written by EvaLantsoght

Artist: Gates of Dawn

Album: Sepia

Label: Echozone

Genre: Gothic Metal

Website: https://www.gates-of-dawn.de/

With Sepia, the German gothic metal band Gates of Dawn have released their 3^rd album. The septet uses male and female lead vocals, and borrows from the classics of the genre like Theatre of Tragedy and Type O Negative, yet in a more modern, streamlined and poppy way.

The majority of the album is paced at mid-tempo, and the similar sound palettes make that most tracks on Sepia sound a bit alike. There's a dash of violin here and a guitar solo there, great vocal duets every now and then, an interesting break in between - but for the most part, Sepia feels long.

Gates of Dawn sounds, on all accounts, very similar to Sengir, the Belgian gothic metal band that split over 5 years ago.

The overly bombastic opening track “Serpent” tricks the listener: he'd expect keyboard-loaden symphonic metal, but is surprised by the rock-oriented gothic metal that Gates of Dawn brings.

While “Ferocity” and “Titan (Lovers of Saturn)” make a fist that suits the band very well, “Isolated”, “Hypothermia” and “Naked” bring a more under-cooled sound with an electronic ice-cold finish.

“The Silence Makes You Scream”, the single of the album, will be appreciated by the fans of Elis – although the male vocals are taking a step back on this track.

In the second part of Sepia, influences from progressive metal can be heard in the series of tracks “The City Sleeps”, “A Mirror Shattered” and “The City Awakes”. Although by far less elaborate, this cycle is vaguely reminiscent of Dream Theater's Metropolis pt. 2 – Scenes From A Memory.

The slow and throbbing “Treasures of Satan (Part II – Majesty” is a stylistic reference to the gothic metal from the 90s with bands as Theatre of Tragedy and The Gathering. The final track is the outro “...To Whom It May Concern”, in which Dreams of Sanity seem to resurrect for a moment.

To conclude: Gates of Dawn are a band with experience, and they bring solid gothic metal, borrowing from the leading bands from the 90s, but with a more modern, electronic sound to it. In particular, the male and female vocals steer away from the traditional “beauty and the beast”-concept and give a fresher outlook on dual lead vocals.

Listen to “The Silence Makes You Scream” by Gates of Dawn here: