(Melodic Death/Progressive) Tracedawn - Tracedawn - 2008, APE (image+.cue), lossless

Once in a while comes along a new promising band with a debut album that surprises us completely by demonstrating that it is possible to build a first sample that does not shamefully plagiarize the bands that had stimulated them to initiate a musical career in the first place.
It is precisely what the young Finns Tracedawn had accomplished with their homonymous debut album, which already discloses a great maturity and individuality for a group whose genesis remounts to a not too distant year of 2006.
Although "Tracedawn" doesn’t quite break any barriers either, these eight themes show an interesting and impressive mixture of Death and Heavy-Metal, as if members of Children of Bodom and Stratovarios engaged themselves in a hotly and severe dispute. It’s all done with a sense of distinctiveness and conviction that is highly effective throughout most of its entirety, bar a few rare moments where the band’s abuse of melody does reach a point of saturation. I’m particularly reminded of "Widow", which has a ballad touch to it and quite honestly doesn’t gel with the remaining songs. Elsewhere, the marriage between aggression and melody is brought to great effect on songs like "Without Walls", "Test of Faith" and "Art of Violence", where the dual vocal performance of Antti Lappalainen, which alternates between rough growls and a clean deep singing really stands out marvellously.
"Tracedawn" is a very competent and entertaining work from a young band that will surely blossom into one of the most interesting acts coming from the cold Finland.