Afterdawn – “Break” EP (2008)

Label : Transmental Music

Review by Jon Estelle

Out of New York city comes an explosive new force to the rock scene. Afterdawn has recently released their new five song EP “Break”. The band manages to combine beautiful vocals with a lot of heavy hitting, in your face instrumental work. This album can best be described with a quick run through of each track. “Bury It Deep” : This song starts off with a heavy riff and quickly leads into the rock inspired vocals of front-woman Corynne Wilder. The track moves at a fast pace and provides a good opener for what the band is about. The vocal work is very catchy and pleasant to listen to. “Top of Occasions”: First opening with some guitar work laid down by Steve Solution, this track then moves on to a softer, more atmospheric phase. The second phase does not last too long, as the band kicks everything back up a notch. The song then closes out with some fast and hard hitting instrumental work. “Last Chance”: Featuring a mix of soft vocals and some fancy guitar work, this song really stands out. Corynne does a phenomenal job matching up with how the guitar is paced. The momentum and energy throughout “Last Chance” really keeps the listener drawn in and guessing what is around the next corner. “Sure Way Out” : The softest part of the album but still no slouch. “Sure Way Out” mixes in some heavy transitions to give the track a unique feel. The way the band maneuvers around between the two tones really adds a lot of emotion to the song. “Peacemaker”: The final song features a darker vibe, both lyrically and musically. There is more aggression here. It is almost as if the band has been building everything up until this point. Jumping around quite a bit, Afterdawn displays their versatility. A great ending that leaves the listener wanting more. There’s not much to dislike here. The vocals are clean and catchy. The instruments meld together and keep everything flowing. Afterdawn has honed their own gritty rock sound to make things stand out from other bands. After a few listens through I found myself still drawn to the music and wanting to sing along. Each song on “Break” oozes with emotion. Every part has a distinctive feel and there is never a dull moment. Rock fans will feel very comfortable giving this album a spin. Afterdawn shows a lot of potential and I eagerly await their future releases.