CoC : Hades - The Dawn of the Dying Sun : Review

Hades - _The Dawn of the Dying Sun_
(Full Moon Productions, 1997)
by: Drew Snow (8 out of 10)

Hades' second full length release is an extremely solid and fulfilling 47 minutes of epic, mid-paced, Bathory-influenced black metal. Having never heard anything by Hades before, neither the previous album _Again Shall Be_, nor the demo pressed onto CD, _Alone Walkyng_, I went into the album with no preconceptions at all, and came out pleasantly surprised. Epic, melodic compositions like "Awakening of Kings", with its terrific melodies, and "Alone Walkyng", with its Chaucer lyrics (in original middle English) and pummeling, ominous sound, highlight the album, proving that Hades have actual -talent- in composing memorable songs, rather than just putting out any cheesy old schlock with little or no musical skill and little emphasis on originality. The production is noteworthy as well; fuzzy on the guitars but maintaining a feeling of control, the bass is actually audible and plays a rather large part in the recording. Sure, Hades won't be like nothing you've ever heard before, but they've managed to carve their own sound out of the faceless masses, maybe even taking their place among the top, "elite" bands.

(article published 9/4/1997)

ALBUMS
3/5/2000	A Bromley	5	Hades - The Downside