The members of ABYSMAL DAWN are currently ensconced at an undisclosed Los Angeles location, where they’re invoking the elder gods to power new material for their as-yet-untitled fifth full-length and follow-up to 2014’s Obsolescence. The Village Voice called Obsolescence “tirelessly inventive”, eventually crowning ABYSMAL DAWN the #1 spot on their 10 Best Metal Albums year-end list. Early samples of ABYSMAL DAWN’s Season of Mist debut demonstrate the trio’s newfound power, ingenuity, and songcraft. Certainly, ABYSMAL DAWN’s new opus picks up where Obsolescence left off, but it promises so much more.

Formed in 2004, ABYSMAL DAWN quickly impressed on fan and band alike. The group’s three-song demo landed ABYSMAL DAWN a contract with Arizona-based Crash Music. Within a year, the group were holed up with engineer John Haddad (Intronaut, Hirax) at Shiva Industries recording their debut, From Ashes. Released in 2006, From Ashes was praised for its tactful balance of brutality, melody, and atmosphere, earning heavy praise from media outlets. Blabbermouth gushed, calling it, “irreproachably constructed.” Follow-up album, Programmed to Consume, again engineered by Haddad, was released in 2008 following a higher profile deal with Relapse Records. Immediately, the press heralded Programmed to Consume—“thinking man’s metal” said AllMusic.

After subsequent tours, the group wrote the successor to Programmed to Consume up through the recording sessions at Artisan Road Studios (with producer Mike Bear) and Trench Studios (again with Haddad). Titled Leveling the Plane of Existence, ABYSMAL DAWN’s third album broke new ground with fan and press alike. Metalsucks called Leveling the Plane of Existence, “crushing modern death metal”, while Pandora found it, “savage”. Clearly, ABYSMAL DAWN’s bridging of death metal eras, songwriting prowess, and growing social buzz was eliciting the type of response for a band on their way up. Subsequent tours were successful in establishing ABYSMAL DAWN as one of America’s leading death metal acts.

Leveling the Plane of Existence was followed by Obsolescence three years later. ABYSMAL DAWN were dead set on perfecting their brand of death metal. So, they set out to write an all killer, no filler record. Producer Bear and engineer Haddad were brought onboard again to track Obsolescence. What had worked mercilessly (the production) on Leveling the Plane of Existence was in no need of change. The result of ABYSMAL DAWN running on all cylinders and their production team dialing in on the group’s distinct sound resulted in a death metal powerhouse. Popmatters called it “nuclear-powered” and Teeth of the Divine opined it’s a record that “wants to cave your damn head in.” Four albums in, ABYSMAL DAWN weren’t just proficient in the finer arts of death, they were proven masters of it.

As a new age sets upon ABYSMAL DAWN—the Angelenos are entering their 13th year—there’s no turning back. The group aren’t interested in throttling down on their quality commitment to death metal and they’re certainly not ready to let their legion of fans down by shifting gears into death metal-lite. A new label deal with Season of Mist and the beginnings of a pivotal death metal album in their hands, ABYSMAL DAWN are the future.

Allegaeon X Gorod

Performers