Album Reviews : Dawn of Retribution – The Plan To End Humanity

I was introduced to Dawn of Retribution the same day I downloaded the new Watain album – an occasion I’ve been anticipating for two years. The plan was to do fuck all at work this week and listen to new Watain. However, thirty seconds into Dawn of Retribution’s debut album, The Plan to End Humanity, those plans quickly changed. I began listening to 30 second samples just to make sure it downloaded okay and I’ve barely listened to anything else since.

The Plan to End Humanity is overflowing with a battery of tightly structured pulverising riffs, calculating leads and captivating melodies which accommodate a flowing pace. The album kicks off solidly with “Ascension of the Shadow” which includes a striking little melody perfectly placed at the 3:30 mark after a volley of riffs. However, things really get going with the supreme “Day Zero”. Opening with one of those tunes that bounce around your head for days, it has a mix of low to mid-range vocals highlighted by an awesome raspy scream at the 1:45 mark, a variety of tempos and some beautiful tremolo riffing at the 3:20 mark complemented by a short tasty lead break. This song has it all and is probably the best on the album.

“The Wake of Devastation” provides one of the very few breathers with an acoustic and spoken word intro which gives way to another barrage of machine-gun fire riffing. The big highlight of this track and possibly the album is the final 20 odd seconds where the tempo builds and the double bass kicks in – it sounds enormous. They really keep tight hold of the baton throughout the entire album. “Merciless” is exactly that with a blitzkrieg of riffs and double kick assaults and the thrashy closer “Alive and Screaming” is equally brutal.

The vocal performance is superb. The mix of harsh lows and mid-range rasps maintains the listener’s attention from start to finish. The mid-range material is as good as anything I’ve heard recently and I actually think it’s under utilised. Of the roughly 364 lead vocal lines delivered, only 13.2% involve his mid-range tone. The best songs on this album, “Day Zero” and “Merciless”, have a higher combination of mid-range vocals – 33.3% in “Day Zero” and 25.4% in “Merciless”.

The drumming is excellent but I wouldn’t mind hearing the bass drums a bit louder in the mix. The rest of the kit is right there in the mix and you can hear the double kicks but my preference would be to have them right up there in your face, like on the new Martriden record. There’s also something going on with the big tom which sounds a bit untidy. I’m not sure if it’s a production issue or if they use some kind of resonating sound effect – kind of sounds like a bass drop sometimes which I’m not a big fan of.

However, don’t let my whining influence your decision whether or not to buy this record – the comments regarding the vocals and drums is my preference only. This album is a fucking powerhouse so make sure you buy this CD and get behind these guys. 8/10

Band: Dawn of Retribution
Album: The Plan To End Humanity
Year: 2010
Genre: Death metal
Origin: Geelong, Australia
Label: Independent
http://www.myspace.com/dawnofretribution

Track List:
1. Ascension of the Shadow
2. Day Zero
3. Minutes of the Millennia
4. The Wake of Devastation
5. Against the World
6. Merciless
7. The Plagues That Followed
8. Alive and Screaming

Reviewed by Pete Williams