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Dawn of Disease - 'Worship the Grave' (Album Premiere)

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When I started writing for Invisible Oranges, most new death metal releases fell into roughly two camps: technical death metal bands or Swedish HM-2 worship. The names have changed a bit but the two sides of the coin remain the same At the time Sumerian Records was the face of the quantized drum and digital amp sound, whereas now Unique Leader carries the torch if not exclusively then at least the best. As for the HM-2 sound, it’s progressed from esoteric interest to fashion statement (yes I own that shirt). For example, Nails earned an enthusiastic 10/10 in Decibel for more-or-less writing a Hatebreed record with that aesthetic.

If those are the two sides of the shiny modern death metal nickel then Germany’s Dawn of Disease are the copper sandwiched in between. Their songs have the rhythm of Swedish death metal, not to mention the hot mid-range crunch, but they’ve removed all the grime and filth with a Pro Tools washcloth. Take one look at the cover art to Worship the Grave, with its cool palate, neon highlights and defined line work: this is a band that is proud to be releasing an album in 2016 as opposed to trying their best to look and sound like 1993. Failure had success with the same idea when they chrome plated grunge rock.. For some people that’s going to suck all the fun out of the proceedings. For the rest of us, that leaves room to enjoy a time-tested sound with a renewed sense of precision.

Worship the Grave will be released this Friday, 6/24, via Napalm Records. Follow Dawn of Disease on Facebook.