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Dewfall - V.I.T.R.I.O.L. review




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Reviewer:
8.0

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Band: Dewfall
Album: V.I.T.R.I.O.L.
Release date: January 2009


01. Free Entrance To Hell
02. Forever Ghost
03. Skeleton's Rising
04. In The Shadow Of Ragnarok
05. Black Solitude
06. Ravens Of The Frost
07. The Secret Passage
08. The Serpent's Cave
09. Comfort Of A Night Rain

Extreme power metal? most of the time I just can't understand how so many people can like stuff like Children Of Bodom, Norther, Kalmah and Wintersun that much. They've always seemed extremely overrated and dull to me. The songwriting is really uninspired most of the time, the solos are usually fast but apart from that completely unspectacular, most of the time the refrains are just annoying and the vocals are usually absolutely horrendous. Yet surprisingly another extreme power metal band (apart from some songs by Eternal Tears Of Sorrow) that I actually enjoy found their way to my CD-player. So who is this band that managed the unexpected? DewFall started out in 2003 and released a first demo in 2004. V.I.T.R.I.O.L. is their first full-length and was produced by the four band members without the help of a label.

As opposed to the bands I mentioned at the beginning of this review, DewFall hardly use keyboard at all on this album, instead their power metal is mainly guitar based with a lot of tasty riffs and some well-placed solos and has a bit of an "oldschool spirit". This music is then infused with a couple of death metal riffs and drumming parts spread over the album, some growls and grunts and even a few black metal screams. Apart from the bassist/extreme vocalist the rhythm guitarist also does some clean singing, usually he sings in a medium range (some parts are comparable to Joacim Cans from Hammerfall) but he's also capable of some higher parts. For his age (he's 17) his singing is quite solid, but it would be even better if he could get some more emotion into his clean parts.

Generally this certainly isn't a perfect album though. For one some of the long songs could have been shorter, also there's a sever lack of catchy choruses - this is biggest point of criticism - and the songs don't all live up to the same quality. Some songs like Black Solitude are just awesome, but songs like Free Entrance To Hell (the opening song) and Skeletons Rising (this song has a rather lame chorus unfortunately) really bring the average down again.

Yet despite these points of criticism V.I.T.R.I.O.L. is a very good album. There's a couple of really great riffs around, the songwriting is solid, the music is rich in variation and there are a lot of different influences to explore. The musicians know hot to play and the whole CD is pretty cool to listen to - even though I didn't like the album on first listen, but a second and third spin quickly changed my mind! I think that they aren't quite there yet, this being their first album after all, but I'm definitely keeping my eyes and ears open for a second DewFall release. In the future these guys might just put out an amazing extreme power metal record.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 9
Production: 7

Written by Bas | 04.03.2009




Comments

Comments: 17   [ 1 ignored ]   Visited by: 106 users
04.03.2009 - 21:51
Arymetall

Wintersun is great in any way. you just have to listen to it. and i think you haven't.
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04.03.2009 - 23:02
Dane Train
Beers & Kilts
Written by Arymetall on 04.03.2009 at 21:51

Wintersun is great in any way. you just have to listen to it. and i think you haven't.


Just because someone finds a band dull, doesn't mean they have not listened to it. Gosh! Why is it when someone makes a comment about how they don't like someone else's favorite band, all the the fanboys have to pounce on them!?

I find Wintersun and CoB very, very boring! BRING IT ON!
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(space for rent)
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04.03.2009 - 23:20
Valaskjalf
Account deleted
You have no clue about Wintersun my friend.....if you think Wintersun is uninteresting or their solos are lame then you expect God himself to make the music
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05.03.2009 - 00:50
Harlequin

Wintersun just takes a lot of "Time" to get into... sorry, I had to post this.
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00:40 - Doomface
Mikael Akerfeldt doesn't age like humans do.
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05.03.2009 - 02:28
velvet

And there was me thinking this was a DewFall review... did Wintersun creep in here and hijak another band's review!? The bastards!

Never heard of Dewfall; liked the review; going to check them out.
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05.03.2009 - 02:49
quirin

So, maybe Dewfall is real cool after all, but reading you guys makes me think I'll give Wintersun a prior shot.
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05.03.2009 - 08:57
silenius

Nice review, will have to check them out

ps. wintersun and CoB are REALY boring to listen to
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05.03.2009 - 09:03
K✞ulu
Seeker of Truth
Just for the sake of saying "wintersun sucks," I think I have to check this album out since Kalmah were mentioned and the oldschool spirit. Yeah!
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Savor what you feel and what you see
Things that may not seem important now
But may be tomorrow

R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner

Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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05.03.2009 - 12:05
Talvi

Lol @Wintersun fanboys. And I thought Metallica fanboys were horrible.
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My account on other musical pages:
http://www.last.fm/user/Pozito/
http://rateyourmusic.com/~Talvi
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05.03.2009 - 12:38
Rating: 8
Bas
Retired Staff
Written by Arymetall on 04.03.2009 at 21:51

Wintersun is great in any way. you just have to listen to it. and i think you haven't.

wanna bet?
Written by Dane Train on 04.03.2009 at 23:02

I find Wintersun and CoB very, very boring! BRING IT ON!

you're a brave man Dane
Written by Talvi on 05.03.2009 at 12:05

Lol @Wintersun fanboys. And I thought Metallica fanboys were horrible.

don't forget, it can always be worse, doesnt matter what it's about
----
BAS - Beautifully Accented Sexiness
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05.03.2009 - 17:57
Valaskjalf
Account deleted
Written by silenius on 05.03.2009 at 08:57

Nice review, will have to check them out

ps. wintersun and CoB are REALY boring to listen to


p.s You have no clue

And I checked out DewFall and i really dont understand the fuss....its just run of the mill kinda stuff, at least when comparing a band to old Bodom or to Wintersun make sure the band is even worth mentioned in the same sentence
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05.03.2009 - 19:09
Lily_Lazer
Outdated
Quote:
The musicians know hot to play


Hmmm, hot play... I'm intrigued
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-Lily
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05.03.2009 - 23:02
silenius

Written by Guest on 05.03.2009 at 17:57

Written by silenius on 05.03.2009 at 08:57

Nice review, will have to check them out

ps. wintersun and CoB are REALY boring to listen to


p.s You have no clue

And I checked out DewFall and i really dont understand the fuss....its just run of the mill kinda stuff, at least when comparing a band to old Bodom or to Wintersun make sure the band is even worth mentioned in the same sentence



clues are overrated i got evidence and experience instead
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06.03.2009 - 00:53
Valaskjalf
Account deleted
Written by silenius on 05.03.2009 at 23:02

Written by Guest on 05.03.2009 at 17:57

Written by silenius on 05.03.2009 at 08:57

Nice review, will have to check them out

ps. wintersun and CoB are REALY boring to listen to


p.s You have no clue

And I checked out DewFall and i really dont understand the fuss....its just run of the mill kinda stuff, at least when comparing a band to old Bodom or to Wintersun make sure the band is even worth mentioned in the same sentence



clues are overrated i got evidence and experience instead


yet 9 years less experience than me...hence you have the conviction of a paper towel
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06.03.2009 - 01:12
Lucas
Mr. Noise
Written by Guest on 06.03.2009 at 00:53

yet 9 years less experience than me...hence you have the conviction of a paper towel


oh please, don't play the experience card. cause if you do, i'll knock you off the board with a Marcel card (stats: thirty years of experience, total metalfan, wintersun hater). your turn.

but seriously, the band at hand here is actually DewFall...
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SLUDGE. DOOM. DEATH. Wait, what?

"The reason I'm running for president is because I can't be Bruce Springsteen." - Barack Obama
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06.03.2009 - 16:03
Rating: 8
Bas
Retired Staff
Written by Lucas on 06.03.2009 at 01:12

but seriously, the band at hand here is actually DewFall...

thanks
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BAS - Beautifully Accented Sexiness
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06.03.2009 - 19:05
EdgeOfDarkness

I reviewed this album for an Italian Webzine and I have to agree with you. I hope this band will become famous in the near future.
btw I love Wintersun XD
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