Dawnwalker – House of Sands (Recommendation)

On the 19th of August, Dawnwalker will release their fifth full-length album House of Sand with 13 tracks and a playtime of 43 minutes. In short: It feels and sounds like a British suburban version of Opeth. Just compare the album cover to the last Opeth release In Cauda Venenum and you maybe get my idea. Another band I need to think of during my rotations is Radiohead. Not the worst references, I guess.

All tracks on House of Sand were recorded live in the studio with 8 performing musicians in total, no clicktracks, no artificial instruments. That leads to a powerful performance and a, in my opinion, very special, homogenous sound. The tracks of the album are connected by some spoken parts, so you get the impression of listening to a radio drama.

Acoustic guitars, clean vocals, violins, piano, bass, drums, female (background) vocals, harsh vocals and electric guitars combine to songs full of melancholy and desires. I don’t like to put out a specific song to listen to, because you need to take your time and listen to the album in its entirety.

House of Sand grabbed me at the first listening, and was the right album at the right time. And it won’t be the last time I listened to it.