Jennytate’s Blog – “As heavy as fuck! Metal mastery, magnificently displayed.” (10/10)
Link: https://jennytate.wordpress.com/2017/07/02/after-dusk-the-character-of-physical-law/
The Character Of Physical Law – Crashing intro, as heavy as fuck! Setting the scene in an instant, it’s clear from the off where we stand with After Dusk. Heavy metal all the way. Turning up the volume and keeping it at max, there’s darkness and light, a bit of gothic stuff, a sinister edge, heavy riffage, solid drums aplenty and melody, suffused with concrete slabs of blackness. Ending on a well timed cymbal hit, one thing this doesn’t suffer from is samey monotony. It’s a positive feast of eclectic metal, combined, to produce a sound as hard, definitive and heavy as hell.
Masters Of Earth – Back into the loudness and atmospheric echo chamber we go. Lifting the mood here, the vocals soar upwards, slotting so perfectly, into the collective skull crushing metal sound. Throwing in a cleverly placed power scream, the freshness and feel of the pounding instrumentals hammers at your brain.
A Phantom Epiphany – Sliding right in there, with some well classy sleaze riffs and anthemic power vocals, the noise of all-encompassing steel overtakes you, leaving no room for anything else but metal. Filling the space in your head with violent, spirited metal, finishing on an all-time, unforgettable riff you’ll be hooked on forever more. (Guess the sound-alike source).
A Corpse With A Smile – Rare, penetrating organ intro, the vocals just fly through this and the riffs match the sense of upward flight, taking centre stage, briefly, for some exceedingly fine melodies. Slight Ozzy-esque vocals in here, a tad reminiscent of ‘Over The Mountain’, fittingly enough. Losing none of that hard as stone essence, the drums come into focus again, towards the close, showing once more, what they’re made of.
Mindinfestation – Right in there, losing no time at all, with a magnificent riff display of sheer brilliance. Power is the word, where this track’s concerned and again, you’ll be reminded of another elusive track from rock’s back pages, on which they build, so inventively, creating their own unique formula, which rocks so hard, it ends on a leaden drum hit you’d be hard-pressed to find replicated anywhere. Sussed it out yet? Yep. It’s Maiden’s ‘Where Eagles Dare’. A damn fine riff on which to construct your own signature spin and they do carry it off with aplomb.
Pyroclastic Flow (Honeydoom) – Ooh, introing with an electrifying riff, highly reminiscent of Judas Priest’s ‘The Ripper’. Carrying on, down those magically metallic riff scales, with their own thunderously heavy performance, searing those riffs onto your brain, with blazing firebrands. Never resting on their laurels for a minute, introing a new, mind meltingly beautiful melody, just before the closing drum finale; ‘PF’ has to be a hit.
Even The Sun Must Die – Bang! Drumming extravaganza opening, just in case you thought for a moment you knew what to expect. Vocals just as powerful, but taking a slight backseat, this time, with a notably gentler tone, allowing a stronger instrumental focus. Fist pumping choruses, battering your senses, with those hard-line drums and penetrative riffs – it’s another hands down winner.
Take The Bitterness Away – Introing now, with a gentle acoustic/electric combo, touching your senses so softly, yet so powerfully. Taking things in a whole new direction, there’s so much inherent beauty, emotion and expression wrapped up in this. You’ll feel it moving and flowing right through you. A metal song made for the heart. Simply gorgeous.
King Of Misery – More electricity, hitting you full in the face, in riff form – it’s very welcome and interweaves heaviness and gentility, with absolute accomplishment. Just a glorious riff fest, made of all the right ingredients. Injecting so much catch into those riffs, giving those epically heavy drums one final outing, it ends on a cohesive vocal, riff and drum combo, so effortlessly delivered, it need do no more.
Overall – A simply stunning, fired up album, full of sheer delights, from start to finish. Metal mastery, magnificently displayed.
Behind the veil Webzine – “AFTER DUSK is not your typical heavy metal band.” (9/10)
Link: http://veilarch.blogspot.gr/2017/07/after-dusk-character-of-physical-law.html
There was a whiskey commercial on TV some years ago which showed people making whiskey taking their time to do so, not because they were lazy, but because time usually gives a better result. I think that this philosophy applies also to AFTER DUSK. It might take time – actually it took them 5 years- but you know the result will be something that is worth mentioning. So let me give you a description of their new release.
If you have read my previous review about the band, then you are already prepared and you know that AFTER DUSK is not your typical heavy metal band. They somehow manage to reinvent the traditional sound or if this is too much for you, then let me tell you that they really sound fresh and original.
Their music is an amalgam of traditional heavy metal with thrash metal elements and 70’s hard rock touches. If you can, please imagine a joint of BLACK SABBATH (with Ozzy as their singer), BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, METALLICA, URIAH HEEP and DEEP PURPLE (especially on the keyboards that proudly carry on the legacy of John Lord and Ken Hensley). So this is what you will get here, catchy melodies, a rhythm section that breaks bones and musical changes that will catch you by surprise. All these things are crafted in such a natural way that the songs never lose their consistency and most importantly they sound as traditional heavy metal as they should.
I think that with their new album AFTER DUSK release their most mature work so far, because they have managed to balance their passion and knowledge and also succeeded in giving equal space to all their influences. They have stayed faithful to their sound, but they have also managed to evolve it with this release. Surely, “The Character of Physical Law” is an album you will enjoy to listen from the first spin, but you will enjoy it even more and discover even more details every time you will play it. I think that AFTER DUSK are one of the most original traditional heavy metal bands that I have listened to lately.
Metal Zone – “Magic and metal” (In Greek)
Link: http://www.metalzone.gr/reviews/magic-and-metal
Μετά από μια πενταετία δισκογραφικής απουσίας και γενικώς χωρίς πολλή δραστηριότητα, οι Έλληνες After Dusk βάζουν ξανά μπροστά τις μηχανές και μας δίνουν την τέταρτη δισκογραφική τους δουλειά με τίτλο The Character Of Physical Law με το οποίο φαίνεται ότι συνεχίζουν με επιτυχία να επεκτείνουν και να εμπλουτίζουν τον ήχο τους. Όπως είχε φανεί και στις προηγούμενες κυκλοφορίες τους, οι After Dusk δεν βάζουν όρια στον ήχο τους και απλά αφήνουν τις επιρροές τους και την έμπνευσή τους να τους καθοδηγήσει.
Αυτό γίνεται λοιπόν και στο The Character Of Physical Law το οποίο είναι μάλλον ότι καλύτερο έχουν ηχογραφήσει έως τώρα. Σίγουρα ο όρος heavy metal, αν και ισχύει, δεν είναι αρκετός για να χαρακτηρίσει την μουσική των After Dusk καθώς η μπάντα μπλέκει στα κομμάτια της τόσο το thrash στοιχείο (μαζί με κάποια μικρά death/black περάσματα) όσο και τον heavy rock ήχο με αναφορές ακόμα και στα 70’s. Αν μπερδευτήκατε μην ανησυχείτε, οι After Dusk κατέχουν πολύ καλά αυτό που κάνουν και σε καμία περίπτωση δεν αναμασάνε τις επιρροές τους ούτε ακούγονται επιτηδευμένοι. Τολμώ να πω ότι έχουν δημιουργήσει έναν δικό τους χαρακτηριστικό ήχο ο οποίος ελίσσεται και μεταλλάσσεται συνεχώς, δίνοντας έναν δίσκο που σίγουρα χρειάζεται αρκετές ακροάσεις, όχι για να καταλάβεις την ποιότητά του αλλά για να ξεσκεπάσεις λίγο λίγο όλα τα πλεονεκτήματα και την έμπνευση που κρύβει μέσα του, ενώ πέρα από τη μουσική είναι και οι στίχοι του Παμίνου οι οποίοι δίνουν ακόμα μεγαλύτερο βάθος στο όλο concept του The Character Of Physical Law. Τα χαρακτηριστικά φωνητικά του Παμίνου είναι φυσικά και πάλι παρόντα και ακόμα πιο βελτιωμένα και παίζουν και αυτά το ρόλο τους στην συνολική ποιότητα του δίσκου που ανέφερα παραπάνω. Η παραγωγή έχει γίνει από την μπάντα με την πολύτιμη συμβολή του Γιώργου Εμμανουήλ ο οποίος έκανε την μίξη και το mastering, ενώ το πραγματικά πολύ όμορφο artwork επιμελήθηκε ο Όθων Νικολαϊδης.
Οι After Dusk δημιουργούν μουσική με μια ουσιαστικά προοδευτική νοοτροπία χωρίς να παίζουν progressive και γενικώς χωρίς να έχουν όρια στην έκφρασή τους, αν και η αλήθεια είναι ότι ξεκινούν με βάση το heavy metal. Το The Character Of Physical Law είναι απλά ένας δίσκος με ουσία και έμπνευση και νομίζω ότι οποιοσδήποτε φίλος του σκληρού ήχου δεν θέλει να μένει σε επιφανειακά ακούσματα θα πρέπει να ακούσει τον δίσκο αυτό.
