Releasedate:   14-02-2025
Label: Noble Demon 

The Finnish formation Dawn of Solace has been around since 2005 and even though some years of inactivity were forced upon it due some legal issues related to the bandname they returned to the scene some years ago with the album “Waves”.  This year full length album number four is made and released. “Affliction Vortex” is available now.

All previous releases of Dawn of Solace are still on regular rotation at Tempelores headquarters so to investigate this release was only logical. Two members with a strong discography on their name. Tuomas Saukkonen and Mikko Heikkilä, the last one bringing us the biggest surprise with his vocals at Tuska with Kaunis Kuolematon regardless of the fact that we have seen him do it several times before. Unique when someone can still surprise you, so the hype for this album was there.

Melancholy is dripping all over to the release and after “Inception” leads you into it the album breaks loose with a track like “Murder” where you slowly feel the urgency creeping upon you. Songs like “Into The Light” show you the magic of the dynamic duo, not only vocally working together to give the sound its shape, but also the instrumental backing where the strong body of the tack is coming forward. 

Another track to mention is the dark “Invitation” which comes with a haunting sound and some killer riffs to break into the sound and make it heavier. A skillfully written piece that showcases the essence of Dawn of Solace in its most excellent way. Attention for details and each element in perfect balance.

We could find something great to say about each of the songs on the release, but with the above mentioned we could safely say you already have enough reasons to look into this album. If Melodic Doom is your thing, you should not have any hesitation on picking up on this release. We think it is highly likely to see it back in many ‘best of 2025’ year lists, including ours.

Line up:

• Mikko Heikkilä – Vocals (clean)
• Tuomas Saukkonen – Vocals (harsh), Guitars, Guitars (acoustic), Bass, Drums, Percussion, Keyboards

Links:

Bandcamp