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Taking Dawn: Time to Burn

Melodic Hard Rock/Heavy Metal

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Roadrunner Records
www.myspace.com/takingdawn
www.takingdawn.com
Review: Craig Hartranft,  06.07.2010

Saluting the past, invoking everything, and doing it without comprise is Vegas quartet Taking Dawn on their Roadrunner Records debut, Time to Burn. What's the best of the Eighties that you can think of? Or simply solid melodic rock and metal with big melodies, grooves, and choruses? Taking Dawn make no apologies for their history, content, or performances. Lead vocalist Chris Babbit says: "I don’t get people who don't like Bon Jovi and Skid Row and other classic bands. We want to bring it to the kids, for them to understand it in a modern context. We don't want to imitate. We want to do our own thing. We want the balls and the attitude."

That latter declaration may show some naive expectations. The old school is not the new school from the current generation that has been raised on hardcore everything. I hope they succeed, because I dig their sound. This is not modern rock or metal. This is music seriously derived from that era when melody and harmony mattered. I remember it, and hope the new generation catches it.

Regardless of audience or interpretation, Time to Burn is great music. The substance that made melodic hard rock and metal great is abundant here. Between the overall compositions, the vocal arrangements and guitar solos are brilliant, putting to shame most modern hard rock and metal who are addicted to hardcore and dirty vocals. Like a Revolution, So Loud, Never Enough, and the brilliant Godless are representative examples of music contray to current trends. Unfortunately, Taking Dawn will not get an audience because of this very thing. Frag modern trends; this is awesome music beyond the force feed media bullsh*t! Buy it! Crank it up!

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

Taking Dawn's debut Time to Burn has everything that makes classic melodic hard rock and metal great. This is timeless music for a new generation.

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Here's a fun fact about Swiss legends, Gotthard: their last 16 releases, excepting their debut album, went to number one in their home country, making them one of Switzerland's most successful acts and ... [ Read More ]