Dawnwalker is a fascinating project. I first encountered the UK group in 2020, on the recommendation of Huck N Roll, who thought I’d enjoy the death-prog-folk leanings of Ages. He was right about that, so their return two years later for House of Sand was an exciting moment—except Dawnwalker had dawn-walked into a completely different direction, done away with the death, kind of kept the folk, and seriously upped the prog. Now it’s two years later again, and The Unknowing is here, and I don’t have any idea what to expect. According to our promo material, there’s a new cast of musicians, a new musical direction, and an intensely philosophical theme guiding this concept album. As ever, Dawnwalker is a chameleon, so what colors has it chosen today?1
Given a choice between Ages and House of Sand, The Unknowing unquestionably follows the direction of the latter. Musically, it leans into lighter territories than Dawnwalker trod in the past, with strong progressive and alternative influences outweighing the rarer heavy metal moments. These take the form of airy chants and calls, Ayreon-esque flutes (Bella Band), and straightforward songwriting that relies more on themes than hooks, allowing Mark Norgate’s singing the lion’s share of the space. This works well because thematically, The Unknowing is a denser album that uses its concept, inspired by religion, philosophy, and introspection, to carry much of its meaning. Lyrically, it evokes The Ocean in that many of the melodies seem to have been built around the lyrics, rather than the other way around—the idea and story are key, transcending music or melody. In fact, The Unknowing is a rare metal album heavily benefitted from a lyrics sheet.2 I particularly like “Sword of Spirit,” but the whole story is well-written and vague enough to be open to some interpretation.
Musically, The Unknowing is a little challenging to write about, because it is fairly minimalistic, and my favorite moments are scattered across its nine songs, rather than arriving in recurring hooks or themes. “Cancer (Rising)” and “Thema Mundi” use piano and Sofia Sourianou’s singing to build ambience, while “Heaven and Earth” relies on somber plucking on electric guitar augmented by a variety of bass (Luke Fabian) and symphonics. Drummer Chris Allan wears many hats, adapting to The Unknowing’s heavy moments (“Novus Homo”) just as well as its quiet moments (“Heaven and Earth”) and mid-paced tunes (“Thema Mundi”). On an album where most songs are shorter than five minutes, Dawnwalker explore a surprising number of ideas and feelings. Most of it is mid-paced, emotional, and quiet; there is a lot of watery imagery, but it is delivered in a way that moistens more than it floods—soft, cathartic, and effective.
One reliable constant across The Unknowing is Mark Norgate. The album’s most memorable melodies are his vocal melodies—his emotive cries in “Heaven and Earth,” his agile delivery in “Cancer (Rising),” his slick performance in the chorus of “Novus Homo.” In an album where the musical setup is minimal, the vocals are front and center, and most of them are Norgate’s (though Sourianou’s counter-melodies and accompaniments are terrific and well-used). His delivery and lyrics are as strong as ever, but I do feel that his style benefits a heavier approach, as Dawnwalker explored on Ages. In “Mirrorpool,” for example, the lyrical repetitions seem a bit much because there’s fairly little else going on—contrast this with “The Law,” where Norgate builds with the heavier guitars and it’s hard not to prefer the latter. He is a very strong singer well-suited to Dawnwalker’s style, but there are definitely moments where I wish some of the other musicians had taken the lead instead.
The other reliable constant across The Unknowing is that Dawnwalker make introspective, cathartic, and beautiful music. Though the “metal” is dialed back from previous releases, the material remains heavy and effective. The Unknowing rewards multiple listens, with power in the details and strength in an illusion of simplicity. New Dawnwalker material is always exciting—you never quite know what you’re going to get—and I’ll likely be keeping with this one for a while yet.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Self-release
Websites: dawnwalker.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/dawnwalkeruk
Releases Worldwide: October 18th, 2024
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