Reviews in English 666 metal - www.666metal.com - USA Unfortunately, this is only three songs but its some great stuff! A description of this is basically some melodic death metal that manages to keep a good deal of brutality in it and has hints of groove worked into the melody. As far as band comparisons, it doesn't really sound too much like anyone else besides Unmoored, since it is the same vocalist, but there are definite influences from the Swedish melo-death scene. All three songs show great potential, and should be a good indicator of what is to come from this band. The music has a certain catchiness to it, and I find myself listening to it a few times nonstop before I take it out. Even though I really liked all three songs, the stand-out seems to be Punished by Silence, which is full of great riffs throughout and has the short amount of "chanting" in one spot. Christian's vocals sound excellent and fit well with the music. But, 12 minutes is just not enough! I can't wait to hear the full-length (coming in the fall) as this has the potential to be one of the year's best! The Underground (issue 34) - Canada There is a reason the debut of Sweden´s Solar Dawn is a mere 12 minutes. At 13 minutes all life would be eradicated. Crushing death metal with a hint of thrash sails over the oceans from Sweden, this time in the form of a band featuring members of (funnily enough) Unmoored, C-Ment e.t.c. Using the Jarawynja moniker until as recently as last fall, this three track MCD is the band´s promo tape on CD and a precursor to an upcoming full length sometime this summer. The band is quite close to At the Gates´s Slaughter of the Soul release, even closer than previous devoted Ebony Tears, but manages to completely convince with its heads down harmonic and rythmic brutal assault. If these tracks are any indication, this mob is about to turn some heads and snap the necks of others. It´s all very structured, tight and aggressive which leaves The Metallian with little doubt that Mighty Music has a winner on its hands. Rumba Magazine - Finland Solar Dawn´s Frost-Work is the best death metal CD for quite a while! But I´m not saying this cause that it is " melodic light-weight death metal " which particularly appeals to me. It is the real thing all the way through, but still these songs get into your head like a pistol round fired from close range. The main reason I think are the storming riffs they toss around, but that alone doesn´t explain the godness of S D´s music. I suppose there is some kind of brutality here that intrigues you, but everyone should definetely rush to a recordstore and figure it out themselves. Frost-Work is a MCD containing three songs, only. Therefore it´s a shame that the running time is only around 10 min. ´cause I would gladly have listened more to such quality material. For example, Arisen Composure is an unbelievable great tune. The MCD offers gloominess throughout, but there´s a funny detail in there too; the "Let´s go"-growl on Artistic Blasphemy that Älvestam perform. It´s not often you come by with such sense of humour in this genre. Terrorizer Magazine (issue 89) - England This is pretty impressive for a debut comprising of three tracks taken off a demo. Flawlessly-executed death with Meshuggah/early Katatonia-style vocals, and something in the rifforama invoking an echo of Boltthrower, that single string picking making for full "advancing warmachine" effect. "Frost-Work" still lacks distinct originality in direction but is nevertheless full of promise. I admit to picking this up for review because of the band's name and the CD's title. I figured it'd be either mediocre industrial or something twisted and primal branching out of the Neurosis tree, hopefully. Those speculations are not superficial - the language and aesthetics play a crucial role of focusing attentions, creative energy and imaginative tribal affiliations. It would be hard for me to explain this, but if Solar Dawn had short hair and vegan straightedge X marks on the backs of their hands, I would been much more impressed with the music. Death metal works better for me as a form of secular militancy. But I'm digressing. 6,5/10 Grinder Magazine - Chile This might be a never ending story. The invasion that Swedish bands have made in metal is a story not unknown by anyone. And though bands keep coming out from those latitudes, the lack of originality and less quality of these new clones of In Flames or At The Gates have become their own worst enemy and weakness for most of them. But not all of them. There are still some that are a huge promise (although all of the above might stay as a reality for many listeners; not me in this case). Solar Dawn is one of the few of them. Maybe in sound they are not too far from what At The Gates have made some years ago, but when this is made with an excellent performance full of strength, technique, and overall, really good songs, the result is very difficult to resist. Formed in 1997 by the guitar players Anders Edlund and Andreas Mänsson, Solar Dawn give us "Frost Work", an album of only 3 songs taken from the acclaimed underground promo named "Desideratum", and that Mighty Music has put out to give you a taste of this incredible band in the mayor leagues until they finished their new album "Equinoctium" in The Abyss Studios headed by Tommy Tägtgren. If you once liked what At The Gates made and you're searching for something that stands at the level of it, this is your choice, though I believe you must try and get the incredible full album "Desideratum", or if that's impossible (I thing that might not be far from reality), wait for their new album (that will be out in August/September) that I bet is going to be a huge surprise for many metal fans. Keep in your memories only one name: Solar Dawn. They're a promise in the gender. Powerplay Magazine (issue 21) Just a short review this time as this is only a threetrack teaser from Swedish melodic deathmetal crew SOLAR DAWN´s debutalbum. A fine three tracks they are too, full of power and precision and overflowing with memorable hooks. If you are not sure about death metal, this may do it for you as it´s not overly extreme; in fact, it´s downright catchy. My advice is buy this if only to satisfy your curiosity. I think you will enjoy it. Reviews in Swedish Close-Up Magazine (issue 44) - Sweden Det är gott att höra att ni sköter er nere på västgötaslätten. Från Skövde (i övrigt knappast en stad som gjort sig känd för sitt musikliv, eller hur COSMIC ZOO?) kommer utsökta dödskvartetten SOLAR DAWN, nysignade på danska Mighty. "Frost-Work" är samma inspelning som på demonivå gick under namnet "Desideratum" (då hette combon JARAWYNJA, recenserade på Jorden Runt sidorna i #41). Eftersom jag lyckades supa bort min CD-R på Maratonrocken i somras välkomnar jag åter varmt detta trelåtarsverk till samlingen. Melodidränkt, moget fyrtaktsgung i stereotyp Fredman-anda kittlar döds skönt i kistan. Fixa en bra fullängdare nu också pojkar. Metal Wire (issue 6) - Sweden Svensk death metal, aningen för fantasilös för att riktigt fånga mitt intresse. Som en blandning av A CANOROUS QUINTET, HYPOCRISY, DIMENSION ZERO, AUTUMN LEAVES m.fl. Det är det som är problemet, bandet behöver en egen identitet. Nu inte sagt att det låter kacka, för det gör det inte. Allt är synnerligen väl framfört, sångaren/basisten Christian Älvestam (även i Unmoored)) vrålar duktigt och låtarna har bra intensitet. Det är meningen att "FROST-WORK" ska fungera som en liten aptitretare inför den stundande fullängdaren, "Equinoctium", som nyligen spelades in i Abyss med Tommy Tägtgren bakom mixerbordet. Vi får hoppas att de hottat upp den med lite mer exotiska kryddor. 3/6 Serenity Magazine (issue 9) - Sweden Solar Dawn består av Christian Älvestam ( också i Unmoored ) på sång/bas, Jocke Pettersson ( Thy Primordial, Dawn m.fl ) på trummor och Anders Edlund och Andreas Månsson på gitarr. Denna MCD är släppt som en försmak på ett kommande fullängdsalbum som beräknas finnas ute i augusti. Vi får ta del av tre spår som även fanns med på promon"Desideratum". Dock känns dessa spår ganska intetsägandeoch anonyma. Melodisk dödsmetal med en ganska taskig produktion. Det får en ju inte direkt att längta efter en uppföljare men man får väl hoppas på en överraskning. BACK!