Dark Hound – Dawning – Album Review

Here’s a simple fact of life for you. Everybody is inspired by somebody else. Everybody. And it would be churlish to suggest otherwise. Consequently, one of the many problems facing bands who are starting out on their journey is just how to tone down those influences and find their own sound. Unfortunately, for Nashville metallians Dark Hound, they’re in thrall to one band in particular, and it’s a stumbling block that cannot be passed!

Who are we referring to? Well, just one spin of Dawning on your decks of doom and you’ll quickly come to one snappy realisation…..and that is, “Holy shit! Do these guys love Megadeth or what?!”

Specifically, Megadeth circa 1992 onwards. From opener “The Ashes Of Your Worth” to “Thrown To The Wolves” to “Thrashgasm”, Dawning is full of the kind of Dave Mustaine-patented, machine-tooled precision metal that made Megadeth a household name. Fortunately, Dark Hound are no slouches either, but with Evan Hensley and Preston Walls peeling off numerous melodic solos, and vocalist/bassist ET Brown delivers his lines with that familiar snarl, the Megadeth comparisons just keep coming thick and fast. In fact, only a guest appearance by the ginger genius himself could make them sound more like Megadeth!

Dawning is by no means a bad album, in fact it’s pretty damn decent at times. The problem is, you find yourself picking out chord progressions and harmonies etc and thinking “oh, thats just like 99 Ways To Die” etc and it’s all a little too close for comfort.

In time, these guys will hopefully find their own sound as they have the potential to be a cracking wee band. However, as it stands, Dark Hound’s Dawning can hardly be considered essential. 6/10