Dawn of Obliteration – Ruins (Recommendation)

Some of us are still consistently searching for that old school vibe of the bands we love right in the middle of the underground. Some of us were served with releases such as the latest Undeath release that fulfilled the dreams of a lot of die-hard Old School Death Metal fans. However, if you are still looking for the vibes of your Death Metal classics in the deeper spheres of the underground scene and you’re living in Germany, just as the entire TMB team, you might be interested in the latest release of Dawn of Obliteration from Hamburg who deliver you a consistent Death Metal tone.

Dawn of Obliteration is a five-member outfit from northern Germany, Hamburg as already mentioned, and play Death Metal in the vein of especially those originators of the genre a lot of bands reach at. These dudes already released a self-titled EP in 2013 that initiated their musical output, but came back in 2019 after a longer pause with their latest release Ruins – this EP has now found its physical release on several formats in 2021 via Lycanthropic Chants after only having been available digitally before – and this is also a treatment that was damn necessary!

The sound on this release instantly kicks in with the first track “Crown of All” showcasing a broad Thrash influence on the Death Metal tone that is played on the entire release. It only takes you a few seconds to notice that one of your favorite bands is all over this release – and it took me even a little longer. The thrash riffs, the strong Death Metal tone, the mid-tempo drums and the deep guttural vocals all drastically remind of your beloved Bolt Thrower, yet the release still feels very characteristic so that you don’t think of a cheap copy.

The final track “Drown in Silence” then also adds a remarkable Death Doom sound to the EP, making use of the Thrash riffs that were mentioned above but slowing them down to the exact Doom speed you need to get hooked. This is then paired with the mid-tempo sound that was already prominent on the tracks before, switching back and forth between these sounds and partially thrashing right into your face with occasional blast beat sounds, then jumping into a very D-beat driven Punk rhythm and right back into classy Death Metal sounds. Especially this combination of styles on this last track increases your interest in further output.

Although this seems to officially count as a demo according to Metal Archives (it just doesn’t feel as such), the production is absolutely on point and delivers incredibly catchy mid-tempo Death Metal that pushes you right back into the glorious Death Metal years during the late 80hs and early 90s. Although the mid-tempo speed is predominantly kept up throughout the entire EP, the thrashy, memorable riffs and strong production transform this release into output that urges you to keep an eye on this band until their full-length debut is going to drop. ,