Dakesis - The New Dawn

Artist: Dakesis
Release Title: The New Dawn
Year: 2016
Label: CapsAArx
Genre: Progressive Power Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Overture
2. The New Dawn
3. Betrayal
4. Destined for the Flame
5. The Great Insurrection
6. To Conquer or Die
7. Intermezzo Meridian
8. Judgement Day
9. The Sacrifice
10. Autumn
11. The Seventh Sky
12. Call to Freedom
13. By the Fading Light

The second album from UK progressive power metallers Dakesis offers a strong and truly engaging effort that contains a lot of really likeable elements present. The Birmingham quartet seems positively inspired and energetic here that should likely catapult them into the forerunners of the genre here on this effort released March 11, 2016 on CapsAArx.

Being a keyboard-dominant band, that is in effect the ground-work for the majority of the album as this one tends to really utilize a lot of striking and majestic bombastic notes featuring the keyboards throughout the music, ranging from wholly over-the-top cinematic style orchestrations to more melodic accentuations brimming along the main rhythms. These here are so wholly fun and dynamic that there’s a great deal to like with their bouncing enthusiasm and infectiousness running alongside the remaining elements here which come from strong riffing and full-throttle, pounding drumming. The riffing in general flows through grand dynamic and fiery patterns with everything from tight speed-metal trappings and symphonic workouts with the bombastic keyboard work while definitely keeping the complexities and technically-challenging arrangements at the forefront alongside those sparkling keyboard work, and in the end it all manages to make for a wholly enjoyable and fun time here with the bright melodies and challenging arrangements. There’s strangely not a whole lot to dislike here as the main element that works against this one is the fact that there’s just no real use for the band to include the two ten-minute plus epics, one of which is nearly twenty minutes and really stretches out the length of this one considerably. Though the two tracks are undoubtedly highlights, there’s little need for such material to be spread out here when the band was clearly competent and performing engaging work in much shorter spans, so the need to indulge in such epics will likely cause burnout for those attempting to indulge this in one sitting but it’s all that’s really wrong here.

Though the need for including those two overlong epics is a little questionable, there’s little else to dislike about this effort which really does feature plenty of enjoyable and engaging elements that makes this a worthwhile look for those who prefer such fast-paced power metal or the genre in general.

Score: 90/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
http://dakesis.bandcamp.com/