Soulgate's Dawn

Messiah

Bastardized Recordings 2009

Looks like the USA doesn't have exclusivity when comes to The Gothenburg style of melodic metalcore.  Germany's entry into the fray comes in the form of Soulgate's Dawn.  And these Teutonic warlords are quite good at delivering ear capturing hooks and stop-start hardcore breakdowns.  A Brutally thumping central riff opens Illuminate before acceding to a broken melody.  Burning on All Sides has a galloping tempo and a memorable melodic main riff that would do Judas Priest proud.  The track then breaks into a some heavy, fist-pounding breakdowns only to then shift gears into a trilling melody.  Misery approaches melodic riffing from different angles with At the Gates crashing into the more straightforward overpowering riffing style of In Flames.  But both of these meet the same fate, in a fury of a foot-stomping chug of a moshing breakdown.  Carillion is a softly mesmerizing instrumental that forces contemplation in the midst of all the arm-flailing aggression of the album.  One kicks the furor back into high gear by combining both the Chugging rhythms with an overlaid melody.  More galloping tempos surge on Lost Control.  Messiah ends as it begins coming full circle with arching guitar harmonies greeting a series of moshing grooves.  The vocals are somewhat standard for the genre with deathly screaming and the occasional clean screamed outburst.  Soulgate's Dawn is not earth-shatteringly original yet somehow manage to inject Messiah with their own brand of melodic hardcore which is both catchy and intense.  Fans of Unearth and Darkest Hour will eat this up as long as they aren't looking for anything too unique.  I'm not sure anything more needs to be said.