Black metal often receives deserved criticism for the genre’s surrounding culture. From wisecracks about “necro snow” to the ghoulish face paint that masks the face and barbs that protrude from sleeves and leggings – this style of rather melodramatic musical expression is likened to the student with flowing, chained pants and mascara swept eyes, waiting apathetically to be the final participant in a kickball game. That is, not many music enthusiasts are willing to give black metal a chance to prove its worth amongst the other genres. All analogies aside, a shame this phenomenon is because the third full length release from Dawn of Ashes, entitled Genocide Chapters, exemplifies what black metal can offer when the music produced is competent and at least partially engaging.

The descent into the macabre underworld of Genocide Chapters, dimly lit and certainly threatening, begins with the bleak “Conjuration of the Maskim’s Black Blood.” Here, the four vile orchestrators of auditory darkness deliver arguably the most promising piece of the collection. Opening with a rather original guitar part, Dawn of Ashes waste little time before settling into a tight groove laced with haunting keyboard flourishes that comprise the eerie background to Kristof Bathory’s agonized, mid-ranged screams. Focusing on structure and flow, “Conjuration of the Maskim’s Black Blood” is an example of songwriting boosting an otherwise average opener into an album highlight.

For a majority of Genocide Chapters’ duration, Dawn of Ashes showcase their unique brand of stripped down black metal, most sonically similar to Cradle of Filth, as they refrain entirely from blast beats and higher register, shrill shrieks – both of which happen to be genre staples. “Seething the Flesh in the River of Phlegethon” serves as a shining example of a black metal group composing an intriguing body of material without the typical musical gimmicks that automatically send curious listeners fleeing. Initiating with a steady strumming and ethereal washes of melody, the song depends almost equally on atmosphere as it relies on grim brutality. This is realized fully within the final minute of the track as a shimmering guitar solo deteriorates into a driving section augmented with dense chugging, concluding in menacing fashion.

A crucial component to Dawn of Ashes’ impressive third outing is the overarching atmosphere that permeates the material on display. Throughout most of the long-player, tracks are interwoven with spine-chilling segues ranging from a soft downpour to muffled screams to droning feedback. These brief moments of transition mesh perfectly with the keyboards that awash every composition, conceiving that sinister and frightening aura of which is vitally important to the subconscious impact of such a record. “Carnal Consummation in the Empty Space” utilizes this disturbing surrounding most effectively as the song fades in with cinematic keyboards, lulling the listener into a trance before slitting their throat with razor sharp shredding and an overly inspired performance by Kristof Bathory.

While Dawn of Ashes mainly brings a fresh perspective on a rather exhausted genre, a couple criticisms drag the record from ambitious heights to more pedestrian levels of entertainment. One such criticism would be the instrumental track, “Reanimation of the Dark Ages.” For the first half of the composition, it seemed as if the four-piece was merely attempting to stoke the atmosphere even higher with massive sounding strings only for them to drown out to the gurgling of something dying. While unexpectedly creepy, this stunt comes across as rather juvenile, making a listener annoyed more than enthralled. Last, “London’s Anthem for the Pleasure of Mutilation” is rather uneventful, unfolding with uninspired riffing and interchangeable melodies, proving to be dead weight on what is mainly a lean record of quality extreme music.

Yes, for the most part black metal brings most of their harassment on themselves with a culture of rebellion and misanthropy. Unfortunately, this has also created a stigma that groups who align with the genre are purely carbon copies, blasting into oblivion and shrieking to the moon from a frost covered mountaintop. Music enthusiasts of the world, give Dawn of Ashes’ latest release, Genocide Chapters a genuine listen and more importantly, a chance. While this foursome has not kicked the ball over the fence by any means, they have proven to be more than a quality player within the playing field.

3.5/5