 | Tracklist:
1. The Beginning
2. As a Judgement
3. Gomorrha of the Plains
4. The Dawn of Dying
5. My Gun and Me
6. Gone with the Wind
7. Rattlesnake Shake
8. (Ghost) Riders in the Sky
9. Devil's Horse
10. Jumpin' Down the Running Train
11. Dodge City
12. Desperados
13. The End
14. Oriental Saloon
Release Date: 2000 | |
| On 1 Lists
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| Summary: Maybe it's the fact that it's got Tom Angelripper from Sodom on vocals, or maybe it's the western imagery it uses, but whatever it is, "The Dawn of Dying" hits the bulls-eye. |
2 of 2 thought this review was well written
Sometimes, weird is good. This is the case with Tom Angelripper’s old side project, Desperados. Taking a nod from the soundtracks of old spaghetti western films of the 1970’s and 1980’s, Desperados mix country and western folk with the raw power of metal and thrash on “The Dawn of Dying”.
Imagine this: Angelripper’s shrieked, black metal-esque harsh vocals, a fierce guitar, pulsing drums…and a banjo. That’s a right, a f***ing banjo. With two intro tracks (with “As a Judgment” being taken from the soundtrack to the film “Once Upon a Time in the West”), Desperados really pushes for a total emersion into the wild west, and is in turn rewarded by the galloping “Gomorrah of the Plains”. What’s transparently clear from the moment that “Gomorrah of the Plains” begins is that Desperados are not a one-trick pony. They don’t just throw in a little western fill here or there to keep the influence present, they shoot to keep it center stage. Every track that precedes “Gomorrah of the Plains” is packed with acoustic guitars, banjos, or harmonicas, or sometimes any combination of the three. In the case of the title track, the electric guitars themselves follow certain scales that allow them to mimic the typical high-noon sounds from old gunslinger films.
It might be rather cynical to say, but withdraw the old western influence, and you’d be left with rather standard material. The majority of the “heavier” songs follow the same pattern of intro riff, verse, chorus, verse, bridge/solo, and chorus. This, however, does not advocate that the songs are similar in sound. “Devil’s Horse” and “Gomorrah of the Plains” are blistering fast scorchers, more reminiscent to “M-16”-era Sodom, while “Gone with the Wind”, “Dodge City”, and “Rattlesnake Shake” slow the tempo down in order to draw more attention to their western character.
The true gems of this album arrive when the western folk influences greatly outweighs the metal tones. “My Gun and Me”, “Jumpin’ Down the Runnin’ Train”, "Oriental Saloon", and the cover of Stan Jones’ “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” are the most addictive tracks on the album, since it’s so curiously captivating to hear Angelripper’s raspy voice match the tracks perfectly, sounding as if he himself were a rugged outdoorsman. It’s during these tracks that the lyrical content really begins to shine through, with “My Gun and Me” depicting two men about to duel, and especially “Jumpin’ Down the Runnin’ Train” due to its ties to outlaw Jesse James. None of these compare, however, to hearing Angelripper brilliantly scream “Yippie aye-aaa!” during the chorus of “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky”. Who knew that Tom had an inner cowboy bursting to get out?
When it comes down to it, “The Dawn of Dying” is just striking, simply because they were able to expertly craft the sounds of the old west with such ease, and create something as enjoyable and unconventional as they did. There’s so much to enjoy here, and so little to hate. It’s a shame that Tom left the band after this album, since his voice perfectly suits the sound the band wanted to attain. As it stands, “The Dawn of Dying” just goes to show that the Wild West still has a lot of fight left in it.
Overall – 4.5/5
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Album Rating: 4.5
Should just be metal, not thrash as the genre.
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This sounds pretty interesting. Im probably going to check this out.
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Good review i voted. This doesn't really interest me but maybe I'll give it a chance. I m a cowboy at heart.
Digging: SikTh - Death Of A Dead Day
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This sounds really gay so I'll probably like it.
Digging: The Flashbulb - Soundtrack to a Vacant Life
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That’s a right, a f***ing banjo.
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I've been seeing people saying "Yeah, I said it, they use a f***ing (random non-standard instrument)" a lot. Seriously, it's not that amazing.
Digging: Dillinger Escape Plan - Miss Machine
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Sounds like a band with a gimmick... I like those kinds of bands...
Digging: Lunascape - Innerside
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Hey man i cant find this anywere. been triyng since i saw it on your list but it just wont happen. good review though.
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| | | Album Rating: 4.5
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I've been seeing people saying "Yeah, I said it, they use a f***ing (random non-standard instrument)" a lot. Seriously, it's not that amazing.
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It is, considering the fact that it's Tom Angelripper, probably one of the people you would least expect to hear with folk instruments. But then again, going off of your ratings, you've never even heard Sodom so you wouldn't understand.
This Message Edited On 03.28.08
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Hey man i cant find this anywere
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Vafan ASberg! Ginza.se! I'm going to order this right now, this sounds extremely cool.
Great review 
Digging: Panzerchrist - Bello
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vafan robin  ja kollade där men ja hitta inget, får väl kolla igen då.
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ok so now that i listened to it a few times i cant say its that special.
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