Soulgate's Dawn

Founded in August, 2001, Soulgate's Dawn were spawned at the outset of the movement on this side of the Atlantic that decided to tap Gothenburg's best and throw in a few hardcore-sounding breakdowns in-between. Although all signs point to them being born and bred stateside, they're actually Germans. While Messiah isn't anything to really write home about, it does stand upon a solid foundation of powerful chugging and some of those breakdowns that seem to show up three quarters of the way into all songs of the genre. With a sound that can be traced to bands such as Unearth or even Killswitch Engage, in the cleaner vocal delivery, fans of those bands or any of the legions in their class may perhaps find something of note with Soulgate's Dawn. The pace of the record almost taunts at getting faster but it never quite reaches levels that can keep up with some of the band's influences. Also, there are scatterings of actual singing amidst the growls, which will undoubtedly turn away many listeners. Messiah is a well-built record but anyone looking for something a little more forward thinking may want to seek other options.