Search - Fields of Nephil :: Dawnrazor

Flour Power

Crypt | Arkham | 11/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd should be a mandatory listen for all these "neo-goths" that think that Goth music and culture is all about techno and S&M. This is raw, in your face, Gothic Rock & Roll. The Nephilim still seem to be one of a kind. No other band has used their Spaghetti Western influenced image or sound. The dusty, decaying, floury Cowboy outfits, the slide guitar and slight twang, and those sore throat growls still sound completely fresh today. And what other band has taken on the task of covering an Ennio Morricone theme as they did with Harmonica Man? (Taken from Once Apon A Time In The West) Sure there are a FEW similarities to the Sisters but to say that this is a rip off is simply too narrow minded (not to mention inaccurate) for me to stomach."

Just Scratching the Surface of Their Depth

SandmanVI | Glen Allen, VA United States | 06/05/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Dawnrazor is certainly an excellent power Goth album, and it is the one FotN release where the comparisons to the Sisters make sense; The deep, snarling vocals and throbbing bass guitar were TSOM trademarks to be sure. However, where the Sisters' Floodland was a majestic work of stylized synth-Goth reminiscent of that typical Euro-Victorian aesthetic, Dawnrazor is an original blending of Goth force and the romantic Old West where lawless desperados walk alone. Carl McCoy is that desperado, half-cowboy and half-shaman, roaming the mysterious badlands within his own soul, continually crossing the line between life and death, consciousness and dreams, reality and occult mysticism.There are any number of hard-hitting rockers here: Laura, Power, Dust, Preacher Man and Reanimator. The centerpiece and crescendo is the towering title track, though in truth the live version on Earth Inferno is probably better. There are also a couple of darkly wistful slower tracks like Vet for the Insane and Secrets - both are strong. Given the quality of all of the tracks, this is a must-have for Goths and those who like their rock with an edge of mystery.Still this is clearly not Nephilim at their most powerful. At this time, the band and Carl had not fully developed the musical depth, emotional range and sense of grandeur that would become their calling card. I feel very sad for the reviewer who cast them off as a Sisters clone and never looked beyond this album; that review will make him look like a fool to all who know the genre well and understand what FotN would become."

Gothic Western

Crypt | 11/21/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Imagine that the Clint Eastwood character from the Segio Leone westerns was even darker and more sombre. That would be one of the characters in this story of vengence and triumph of one form of evil over another. The music manages to be brooding while maintaining a distinctly western rhythm. The lyrics range from effective to poetic. The voice of the lead singer is reminiscent of Andy Eldrich and the entire CD can be compared favorably with the Sisters of Mercy's Floodland. From the opening song, a sample from the movie Once Upon A Time In the West, to the final revenge in the last song, the entire CD is haunting and moving.Don't take this to mean that it's a funeral dirge, it's a well balanced collection of songs that seem to want to become frenzied, but are perfectly reigned in by the band. It's a supernatural spaghetti western put to music. If you like melodies, good guitar work, and haunting lyrics done in a near-Gothic vein, this is worth a listen."