South Australia’s A Red Dawn have been busy making a name for themselves in the Aussie scene since they started busting some skulls in 2004. The quartet formed from the dissolved remains of Embryonic Soul and Counterfit. Their Myspace profile clearly states they’re not in this to gain ’scene points’ or conduct mindless breakdowns. As they say “You had me at hello.” A Red Dawn play straightforward Aussie death metal infused with a hardcore mentality, lyrically. Since busting into the scene in 2004, they’ve toured with some of Australia’s biggest names including The Jonestown Syndicate, another favorite of mine. Currently they’re playing support for Psycroptic’s upcoming Australia tour. If it’s anything like the few times I’ve seen Psycroptic play, it’ll be one hell of a brutal show.
Their latest EP, aptly named A Need to Defy, was recently released via Australia’s own Truth Inc. Records. Can’t say they picked a bad label with stellar label mates such as Black Like Vengeance. The EP’s name is appropriate as A Red Dawn are setting themselves up as forerunners of the South Australian metal scene with up tempo riffs, thunderous drum lines, and brutal vocals handled by singer Wayno. The EP weighs in at just a hair over 20 minutes and 5 tracks, averaging 4 minutes in length, not bad for a sophomore demo. The album starts off with a mid tempo intro to Smoke, Mirrors, & A Razorblade, aside from the double kick drum, it’s got a nice jazzy feel to it. Then you’re immediately showered with a flurry of strong riffs, up tempo blast beats and Wayno’s own mix of metalcore’s good cop/bad cop vocal stylings — but don’t worry, there’s no girly singing here, it’s all guttural from start to finish.
The first track is a nice introduction to the band as it’s not too fast but not mid tempo enough to sound cookie cutter, it’s got a very nice hardcore feel to it. The lyrics of all the songs have a hardcore feel to them as well, empowerment and not backing down in the face of adversity. Track two, Draw the Line, is possibly my favorite from this all too short EP. Between upper mid tempo pacing and less-blast-beats-more-cymbals, the band intelligently mixes in some sweet time signature changes with a very jazz-influenced — and technical death metal-influenced — guitar-heavy chorus. It’s not entirely free-form but there’s definitely a hint of more to come on future albums, I’m sure. Between these interludes, which are on almost every song, A Red Dawn have masterfully paced each track to drive you forward only to pull you back and slow you down with the chorus. These down-tuned choruses must be their version of the breakdowns so prevalent in many bands today. Jazzy, crunchy, drop D choruses? Bring’em on, they’re excellent.
Each track flows well into the next with track three, The Harbinger, bringing you face first to Aussie brutality and speed and tossing you into track four’s technical-influenced and slowed intro. Wish Yourself to Death may start off slow but it’s a track of ebbs and flows, hyping you up only to drop you dead on their technical hardcore-styled chorus. Another excellent track, I want to hear more like this from them in the future. The track takes you out on some seriously blazing kick drum blasts that, while not the fastest, sure as hell kick you in the teeth. These guys lace every track with a little groove and a lot of bloody punches, a beautiful mix for Australian death metal.
When you hear the EP The Need to Defy, you’ll be sad that it’s a mere five tracks but more than happy at its constantly changing pace and time signatures with the band mates’ own personal musical influences shining through on every track. This album takes me back a few years when Florida’s technical death metal scene was in full swing and the bands cared about their music first and foremost. No one down here wanted to fit into a mold and A Red Dawn certainly don’t fit the mold of their Aussie brethren who, outside black metal and one of the sickest grind scenes on the planet, are busy one upping each other with tight pants and two step breakdowns.
If you’re in Australia, pay these guys a visit on their summer tour and prepare to get pummeled. If you’re not down under, grab the album from Amazon. You won’t be disappointed.
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