ABYSMAL DAWN — Leveling the Plane of Existence (review)

ABYSMAL DAWN — Leveling the Plane of Existence album cover Album · 2011 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
J-Man
If technical death metal (minus the metalcore influence that seems to dominate the scene nowadays) is your thing, you may have taken notice to Abysmal Dawn's 2008 effort for Relapse Records, Programmed to Consume. Fast-forward three years, and Abysmal Dawn has out their second album for Relapse (third album total) in the form of Leveling the Plane of Existence. This killer blend of old school U.S. death metal and modern technical death metal is one that should please Abysmal Dawn fans and newcomers alike. Leveling the Plane of Existence contains breathtaking musicianship, engaging compositions, and plenty of moments worth headbanging to - there's not much more I can ask for from a technical death metal album!

The music on Leveling the Plane of Existence is modern American death metal, but with ample doses of technicality and occasionally progressive tendencies. This is an album characterized by blinding leads, deep guttural growls, relentless drum patterns, and heavy guitar riffs - this isn't for the faint of heart! The musicianship is excellent across the board; Abysmal Dawn is a band that consists only of top-notch virtuosos. The amount of noise that this trio can make with only 3 people is truly admirable! Leveling the Plane of Existence clocks in at just under 40 minutes, which is a pretty great length for a technical death metal record. Not all tracks are extremely memorable ("In Service of Time" is the benchmark masterpiece here), but the short running length prevents this from becoming a large issue. The production is sleek, modern, and technically pleasing.

Abysmal Dawn really took me by surprise with their third album - I've sincerely had a great time listening to Leveling the Plane of Existence. It's not too common to hear a technical death metal album with this much power nowadays! This may not be the most original album on the planet, but it's difficult to argue with quality like this. This is a 3.5 star release from me, but it's damn close to a 4. Fans of technical death metal contemporaries in the vein of Obscura are advised to give this one a spin!
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

The Goblin Sessions Heavy Metal
THEM
Buy this album from MMA partners
Tormenta De Arena Metalcore
VORAGO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Infinite Metalcore
FUTURE GHOST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Heretic Melodic Death Metal
SUNCINDER
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Skull Burned Wearing Hell Like A Life Vest As The Night Wept Mathcore
FRONTIERER
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Future Ghost - Wolves (Official Music Video)
FUTURE GHOST
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Future Ghost - Nemesis Game (Official Music Video)
FUTURE GHOST
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Harrowed TwentyTenVideo
HARROWED
Bosh66· 3 days ago
Sunmancer - Realms of Dilemma (Official Visualizer)
SUNMANCER
Bosh66· 8 days ago
Sunmancer - Lower Cavalier (Official Visualizer)
SUNMANCER
Bosh66· 8 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed