Dawn of Ouroboros
Bioluminescence


3.9
excellent

Review

by Trey STAFF
March 4th, 2025 | 77 replies


Release Date: 03/07/2025 | Tracklist

Review Summary: No longer just a band with unfulfilled promise, Dawn of Ouroboros has finally arrived.

What a difference a few years makes. Dawn of Ouroboros has always been a good band, but they’ve never been essential listening. Their unique fusion of post-black metal and progressive death metal had promise yet it often fell short of its potential. A key issue was their under-use of vocalist Chelsea Murphy. While her screams and death growls were excellent, her clean sections generally felt underdeveloped and underutilized. This description fit their musical output, as well. While the band regularly introduced intriguing ideas, they often felt underdeveloped and underutilized, surrounded by a repetitive black metal formula that lacked a truly compelling edge.

Again, what a difference a few years makes.

Their latest single, “Slipping Burgundy,” shatters all these past limitations. It opens with a slow jazz-infused section, setting the stage for Chelsea’s sultry clean singing, and both elements feel fully realized and impactful. When the heavier section does arrive, the band bypasses the typical black metal tempos in favor of something more atmospheric and brooding augmented by a droning guitar melody and Chelsea’s blackened rasp. As the song further progresses, shifting tempos, evolving guitar melodies, and dynamic musical transitions create a sense of depth and progression. A climactic guitar solo and atmospheric keyboard arrangement close out the track after a second round of clean vocals. The most significant factor is that each section feels fully developed and is given the space to leave a lasting impact—although I do wish the second clean singing passage had maybe lingered a bit longer.

Slipping Burgundy’s same level of refinement extends to the entire album. Despite drawing from a vast range of influences, every song feels cohesive and fully realized delivering memorable and compelling sections. That compelling nature extends to Chelsea’s clean vocals which take on a more prominent role than ever before, sounding more powerful, memorable, and commanding. Even the black metal sections, which used to often feel stagnant, sound fresh thanks to drummer Chris Stropoli. Instead of relying on standard blast beats, he injects each passage with creative, intricate rhythms that give these moments their own unique identity. The guitar work has also evolved significantly, showcasing melodic black metal riffs, doom-inflected leads, expressive solos, and even flashes of atonal Ulcerate-style dissonance. Above all, the band’s grasp of dynamics has seen the most improvement. While Dawn of Ouroboros always embraced musical shifts, the individual sections often felt too uniform in execution. This time, however, tempo changes and stylistic diversions feel purposeful, inventive, and expertly crafted.

It’s hard to believe it has only been five years since Dawn of Ouroboros released their debut album. With their latest album, Dawn of Ouroboros has fully come into their own. What once felt like glimpses of potential has now been solidified into a confident, fully realized sound. The band’s dynamic range has expanded, their songwriting is more intricate yet more cohesive, and every musical choice feels intentional and compelling. Chelsea Murphy’s multi-faceted vocals now receive just about equal time between screams and clean singing while the instrumentation balances intensity and atmosphere with sophistication. No longer just a band with unfulfilled promise, Dawn of Ouroboros has arrived as a significant presence within the genre.




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user ratings (28)
3.8
excellent

Comments:Add a Comment 
Willie
Moderator
March 4th 2025


20405 Comments

Album Rating: 3.9 | Sound Off

Slipping Burgundy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LglfXHM1gH4



Bioluminescence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du6grqfONQ8

Hawks
Contributing Reviewer
March 4th 2025


99736 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Gotta hear this.

vult
March 5th 2025


3077 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

watched a live clip and damn the vocalist's screams seem effortless, excited to check this

zaruyache
March 6th 2025


28094 Comments


Yay I like this band

Willie
Moderator
March 6th 2025


20405 Comments

Album Rating: 3.9 | Sound Off

I've been listening to this non-stop since receiving the promo. I wasn't the biggest fan of their previous releases for the reasons I talked about in the review, but this one is a huge step up for them.

metalphil
March 7th 2025


1106 Comments


I caught these guys as a warm up to Fallujah last year and I was totally caught off guard by how good they sounded. Usually, if I don't know the band's material beforehand, it's hard for me to enjoy them live but they were honestly great.

I checked out the rest of their material after the show and they really blew me away. Definitely one of my favorite new bands and both of the new singles are awesome.

Hyped for this release!

Ectier
March 7th 2025


3700 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Oooo this is pretty

metalphil
March 7th 2025


1106 Comments


Just gave it a first listen. Need to let it soak in a bit more but Static Repetition and the first 2 singles are the highlights for me right now.

Ectier
March 7th 2025


3700 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I am enjoying this atm

Willie
Moderator
March 7th 2025


20405 Comments

Album Rating: 3.9 | Sound Off

New single for the album drop...



Dueling Sunsets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSHnAOZM0XY

Dewinged
Staff Reviewer
March 7th 2025


32622 Comments


Heard a couple of tracks of this one, don't really like the production but the vocals were insane. Will check it in full this week.

Edit: this one is the new one Dewi u dork

Ectier
March 8th 2025


3700 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

This was wonderful for me, im enjoying a lot of Black metal this year

Hawks
Contributing Reviewer
March 8th 2025


99736 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Make sure you jam Gràb, The Great Old Ones, Havukruunu, The Blood Mountain Black Metal Choir, Grima, Trha, Pale, Abduction (UK), Unreqvited and Drowning the Light as well. All some of my fav bm so far this year. Saor still stands above any other metal I've heard this year though. Gonna jam this soon.

Ectier
March 8th 2025


3700 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Have great old ones, Grab and Grima

Hawks
Contributing Reviewer
March 8th 2025


99736 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Ahhhhh yeah I forgot. Hard to keep track lol.

Ectier
March 8th 2025


3700 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Hmm i could swap to Grima from the cradle atm. Also jam this Hawks

Dewinged
Staff Reviewer
March 8th 2025


32622 Comments


If we're talking BM I heard a random band called Harvst the other day and damn, it was great, you people should check it.

Dewinged
Staff Reviewer
March 8th 2025


32622 Comments


Totally unrelated to DoO though. This album is pretty overwhelming for me, I haven't been able to sit through the whole thing yet.

Viraemias
March 8th 2025


477 Comments


You gotta love it when an album cover is dope and the actual music of that album is too

metalphil
March 8th 2025


1106 Comments


I like those odd guitar leads in the chorus(?) of Nebulae



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