OCTOBER TIDE — Grey Dawn

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OCTOBER TIDE - Grey Dawn cover
3.36 | 6 ratings | 2 reviews
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Album · 1999

Tracklist

1. Grey Dawn (4:28)
2. October Insight (5:03)
3. Sweetness Dies (5:45)
4. Heart of the Dead (4:16)
5. Floating (6:14)
6. Lost in the Dark (and Then Gone) (5:25)
7. Into Deep Sleep (5:13)
8. Dear Sun (3:32)

Total Time 39:56

Line-up/Musicians

- Mårten Hansen / Vocals
- Fredrik Norrman / Guitars, Bass
- Jonas Renkse / Drums, Guitars

About this release

Label: Avantgarde Music
Release date: November 23rd, 1999

A digipack version of the album is also available.

Remastered and re-released by Peaceville in digipack format (2007)

Thanks to Prog Geo, Time Signature, MorniumGoatahl for the updates

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OCTOBER TIDE GREY DAWN reviews

Specialists/collaborators reviews

UMUR
"Grey Dawn" is the second full-length studio album by Swedish doom/death metal act October Tide. The album was released through Avantgarde Music in November 1999. It´s the successor to "Rain Without End" from 1997 and there´s been one lineup change as lead vocalist Mårten Hansen has been added to the ranks, making October Tide a trio on "Grey Dawn". Band founders Fredrik Norrman (guitars, bass) and Jonas Renkse (drums, guitars) are still present. The latter has completely abandoned performing vocals (which he performed on the debut album), so Hansen is the sole vocalist on "Grey Dawn".

"Rain Without End (1997)" sounded pretty similar to early Katatonia (Renkse´s and Norrman´s other contemporary band), featuring a melodic and melancholic doom/death metal style with growling vocals. That music style is more or less continued on "Grey Dawn", but Hansen has a slightly more blackened type growl than Renkse´s ditto on the predecessor. The quality of the material is decent, but "Grey Dawn" is not the most memorable album in the genre, and a few more catchy moments would have made this a stronger release.

The musicianship is strong, although Renkse´s simplistic and one-dimensional approach to drumming is hard to appreciate. It´s the dark and melancholic atmosphere and the heavy riffs and guitar lead themes which are the assets of the album. The sound production is professional and detailed, and upon conclusion "Grey Dawn" is a quality doom/death metal release by October Tide. To my ears the debut album was just a little more interesting and a little more memorable too, but this one is entertaining enough while it plays. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.
Time Signature
Floating...

Genre: death doom metal

Normally, I am not too fond of doom metal with growled or harsh vocals, because such vocals lack tonality (thus blocking for melody) and are often, in my opinion incompatible with the otherwise desperate and oppressive and melancholic atmosphere of much doom metal.

But there are certain exceptions.

And this is one of them, and I think that one of the reasons is that Mårten Hansen's harsh vocal delivery semi-screamed vocal delivery, while still atonal, has a feel of desperation to it, which suits the doom-ladden music quite well. Also the music, while still heavy is more uptempo than a lot of other doom metal - it bears some similarity to Paradise Lost's early output (discounting "Lost Paradise"), escept the musicianship is better here than it was in the early days of Paradise Lost.

There is a lot of emphasis on melody which is achieved through melodic single and twin lead guitars in minor harmonies, and, on the whole, everything works just fine on this dark and melancholic release.

I think "Grey Dawn" will appeal to both fans of death doom and more traditional doom metal alike.

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