CoC : October Tide - Grey Dawn : Review

October Tide - _Grey Dawn_
(Avantgarde Records, 1999)
by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10)

I expected the combination of Marten Hanssen's (formerly of A Canorous Quintet) anguished vocals with October Tide's doom metal to produce remarkable results. However, it turns out that during the slower parts of the album I tend to miss Jonas Renske's _Rain Without End_ vocals; nevertheless, Hanssen's vox suit the rest of the album very well. _Grey Dawn_ is actually overall somewhat faster than _Rain Without End_, which consequently helps Hanssen's vocals. October Tide's music also tends to sound a bit less like Katatonia than before, as some almost Swedish metal-like guitar work is mixed with the sorrowful guitar lines and riffs. The guitar work is very good throughout the album; it is also helped by the excellent production that gives the album a sombre, but yet remarkably clear, sound. The digipak's artwork is equally sombre and well done. Two tracks stand out from the rest: "Floating" and "Lost in the Dark". A few minutes later, the album comes to an end with a cold acoustic guitar track. In short, Katatonia's Renske and Norrman, this time helped by Hanssen, have done it again with October Tide.

(article published 7/7/1999)

ALBUMS
10/26/2010	A El Naby	7.5	October Tide - A Thin Shell
4/13/1998	P Azevedo	9	October Tide - Rain Without End