Dawn of Solace – Flames of Perdition
Release Date: 28th January 2022
Label: Noble Demon
Bandcamp
Genre: Goth, Doom Metal.
FFO: My Dying Bride, Amorphis, Hanging Garden, Katatonia.
Review By: Rick Farley
Tuomas Saukkonen, Death and Gothic Doom Metal Icon, returns with his third full-length solo album, Flames of Perdition. Hailing from Finland, Tuomas is a well-respected composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer and producer. He has a long history in bands like Before the Dawn, Black Sun Aeon and Wolfheart. All of which share elements of Melo Death, Gothic, and Doom Metal. In short, the man knows his Finnish melancholy.
Dawn of Solace has been known to be more on the Doom and Goth side of things, as opposed to the harsher Melo Death/Black projects Tuomas has been involved with. Flames of Perdition is the more melodic, gloomier, gothic persona coming out in his songwriting. Originally a vehicle for his music that didn’t quite fit the vibe of his other bands, he created Dawn of Solace solely for that reason. He released the highly regarded debut “The Darkness” in 2006, followed by the sophomore effort “Waves” 14 years later. Now in 2022 he has brought us a new album full of gloom and weepy yearning.
White Noise is a beautiful start to the album, an acoustic opening followed by heavy single chords leering and ringing out sets the tone right away. It’s incredibly hooky but still mournful sounding. The vocal melodies are rich and memorable, bringing a warmth to a heavy atmosphere. It’s music that makes you feel it, it leaves a certain subdued haziness in your thoughts. An intuition of sorrow and despair that resonates throughout your consciousness. Even in its forlorn state, there’s still an incredible amount of comfort to be found. That’s really the beauty of all this, there’s always light, no matter how dark the shadow.
The overall mood of the album is grim and sorrowful, with intense moments of powerful riffs, gorgeous solos and haunting layers of texture. It’s clear Dawn of Solace maintains a sadness throughout the album, but it doesn’t evoke hopelessness all the time, there’s a level of healing masterfully crafted within the compositions. Title song Flames of Perdition is piano driven with heavy riffs and open airiness. It goes through various transitions between tempos and moods throughout the song. Even touching on a folky acoustic strum with piano that sounds almost upbeat. This gives the song a strong contrast of dynamics and emotions. Dying Light has a great anthemic sing along vibe during the verse with a memorable acoustic guitar, drum and bass passage. The heavier and faster tempo Black Shores has a great Gothic Post Rock feel to it, complete with a Progressive sounding keyboard/synth solo. Honestly, for this genre, there’s an astounding amount of diversity.
While Flames of Perdition is very good, it does have a few negatives. The last two songs, basically bonus tracks, are unnecessary. Both songs, Lead Wings and Dead Air coming from previous albums, are just live acoustic versions of songs that are way better in their original form. It stunts the vibe of the album if you listen to it in its entirety. The vocals are all cleanly sung, which is fine, but they occasionally don’t reach the emotions that the music is bringing. Still outstanding, I wish there was a little more ambition in the delivery. There are a few spots that beg for a little more, and it just doesn’t get there. It’s a very minor gripe, honestly, considering Mikko has an amazing voice. There are several incredible moments where his voice touches your soul. So again, minor but worth mentioning.
With that said, Dawn of Solace have given us some captivating Gothic Doom Metal with memorable songs and big hooks. Beautifully sung melodies, lush, elegant atmospheres ranging from deep dreariness, heavy guitars to bright uplifting choruses. Not overly complex, its simplicity has a deeper impact emotionally; songs are often led by a single piano line or acoustic guitar before reaching its mesmerizing zenith. Sorrow filled and soothing, Flames of perdition truly will please almost any fan of the genre.
(4 / 5)
