Can one keep things separate when working on several different projects that are within the same genre? That’s the question that kept bugging me while listening to the promo for BEFORE THE DAWN’s new album, “Cold Flare Eternal,” as the subtle differences between this band and Tuomas Saukkonen’s other bands – WOLFHEART, BLACK SUN AEON, and DAWN OF SOLACE – started to blur in my head. The only real difference is the main clean vocal of each band, as the other stylistic details fall under the melodic death metal umbrella. The album was released on September 5th, 2025, via Reaper Entertainment, and, like anything else that comes out of his hands, is top-notch Finnish melodeath.
For some reason, I wasn’t very impressed with Paavo Laapotti’s vocals on the band’s previous album, “Stormbringers” (2023), yet I find myself more and more drawn to his performance this time around. It could be that the songs are written to better fit his vocal range, or maybe he has more confidence in his skills; whatever the reason, he sounds really good on this album. Moreover, he gets a chance to actually show off and flex his clean voice and range alongside his harsh and screamed vocals. As a result, the songs themselves sound better and flow together with a different energy, even if the chilled, dark, and wintry ambiance makes them feel cold and frosty. I am starting to believe that having such an icy atmosphere to Finnish melodeath songs is a typical Finnish thing to do, in contrast to the layers of melody and textures the Swedes wrap the melodic death metal into.
Atmospheric intro “Initium” does its thing and sets the mood with a brooding tone, only for the ambiance to be broken by the vicious guitar and drums attack of single “Fatal Design,” a rather typical melodeath track that balances harsh vocals with a clean-sung chorus and plenty of heavy riffs. Singles “As Above, So Below” and “Stellar Effect” do a better job of counterpointing melodic chorus sections with heaviness and aggression while also letting Paavo Laapotti’s vocals soar. The guitars have more melody coming from them, while the vocal layering of cleans and harsh vox in the choruses adds a layer of darkness and elevates the tracks. Nestled in between is the dark and moody “Mercury Blood,” which is quite a heavy number with harsh vocals and deep growls that almost meld with the chugging guitars and big drum sound. This is definitely an early album highlight for me.
Boosted by an interesting-sounding intro of noodling synthesizers, “Flame Eternal” soon gains traction with pounding drums, aggressive riffs, harsh vocals, and a great headbanging rhythm. The synthesizer sound shows up again a bit later, it’s countermelodies adding layers of interest and depth to the track while the guitar solo injects some much-needed melody to the fold. The heavy and brutal “Stronghold” is mosh-pit worthy, ruthlessly carried by deep growls, pounding drums, and the relentless rhythm of the double bass drumming. The melody of “Destination” comes almost as a relief after such hefty tracks, and again, there’s a back and forth between cleans and harsh vox while the guitar sounds more melodic, and the vocal layering adds so much depth to the chorus. (I really am a sucker for this overlap of cleans and harsh and the echo effects it produces). Where “Shock Wave” feels like another typical melodeath track with harsh vocals, semi-melodic guitar riffs, and a somewhat catchy chorus final track, “Ad Infinitum,” has the coolest guitar melody on the whole album, and that melody superbly winds down this album, feeling more like a lengthy instrumental outro than anything else.
A rather linear album, “Cold Flare Eternal” lives up to its name, being a dark and chilly offering, with a limited supply of melody but with some great moments of incredible heaviness scattered throughout. The vocal performance stands out to me as one of the album’s fortes, quickly followed by the overall bleak and austere atmosphere that many of the song brings forth, and, of course, the technical prowess of the band. In that sense, “Cold Flare Eternal” is a great album for what it delivers – (melodic) death metal with more than just a touch of darkness and grit. But, at the same time, I think BEFORE THE DAWN could deliver much more if only they would break this mold and enhance the variety factor.
Written by Andrea Crow
Tracklist
- 1. Initium
- 2. Fatal Design
- 3. As Above, So Below
- 4. Mercury Blood
- 5. Stellar Effect
- 6. Flame Eternal
- 7. Stronghold
- 8. Destination
- 9. Shock Wave
- 10. Ad Infinitum
Lineup
- Tuomas Saukkonen – Drums
- Paavo Laapotti – Vocals
- Juho Räihä – Guitar
- Pyry Hanski – Bass
Label
Reaper Entertainment
