Just Before Dawn - Precis innan gryningen

JUST BEFORE DAWN - Precis innan gryningen (CHAOS Records - CD 2013)

I was really looking forward to hear Just Before Dawn. First time I have heard of this project was when I discovered that Rogga Johansson is involved in it. And OK., some of you people may be fed up with his 213123 bands, but I really like and support most of them, for me this guy has this golden touch for death metal and most of his bands simply sounds awesome. But then I realized that Just Before Dawn is actually a project of Anders Biazzi, a guitarist for Blood Mortized and Rogga was only involved in writing some lyrics and doing vocals for one song. Just Before Dawn actually reminds me Rogga's Megascavenger. Or Fred Estby’s Necronaut. We have eight songs on the album and different vocalists growling for each of them. Great idea, isn’t it? So, that’s wh we can find members / vocalists of such bands as Puteraeon, Godhate, Zombiefication, Revel In Flesh and Paganizer / Ribspreader / etc here. But it is Anders, who's a mastermind standing behind Just Before Dawn. “Precis innan gryningen” is a debut album of Just Before Dawn and damn it! This is another really fine and killer gem of Swedish death metal. I guess some will moan and moan that it is nothing special, because it doesn’t bring anything extraordinary and unheard before, but fuck that. For me “Precis innan gryningen” is damn solid and worthy album, with great riffage, great atmosphere (with lyrics talking about the Second World War!) and with some great vocals. Do I need to hear anything else? No, because this is classic death metal!

“Precis innan gryningen” is obviously deeply rooted in the traditional Swedish death metal style. Not only the guitar tone is THE ONE, but also stylistically there are many influences from the great classic crews. For instance “As Death Breaks the Surface” has this classic Dismember / Grave riffing and it is pure bulldozer, heavy as fuck, brutal… But there are also many similarities to such bands as Asphyx and Hail of Bullets, for example in “Raped Soil”, which is just a superb song, very doomy, very monumental and almost kind of epic, with some beautiful, mournful melodies or in “Pulverised”, which is another massive, heavy fucker. If you add some influence of Bolt Thrower, similarities to such newer Swedish bands as Paganizer, Facebreaker, Ribspreader, Puteraeon, then you know everything about “Precis innan gryningen”. It is just a classic death metal record. No experiments, no progressive stuff is needed here, just straight to the bone, guts ripping riff and heaviness. And that is exactly what “Precis innan gryningen”. So, if you like heavy, brutal death metal with many doomy parts, which would take equal influences from the Swedish and Dutch death metal scenes, then Just Before Dawn is a must have for you. Very recommended! Oh, the second album is on its way - can't wait to hear it!

Standout tracks: “Raped Soil”, “Ten Megaton War Machine”, “The World Burning”, “As Death Breaks the Surface”

Final rate: 80/100