Dawn Of Ashes – Anatomy Of Suffering (Digital/CD Album – Metropolis Records)
With the previous album “Infecting The Scars”, frontman Kristof Bathory returned to his musical roots with his Dawn Of Ashes project: hard and merciless Electro. “Anatomy Of Suffering” is the latest album from this American project, which embarked on its musical crusade more than twenty years ago.
The opus contains ten tracks, including notable—and some already well-known—collaborations with guest vocalists Johan Van Roy (Suicide Commando), Erica Dunham (Unter Null), and Void Stasis alongside BlakMoth. The album represents a new Electro experience that once again sounds raw, tormented, brutal, and merciless. Kristof Bathory, who has also explored Dark-Ambient territories under his own name in recent years, demonstrates a strong ability to craft an obscure atmosphere. The result is an overwhelming production, meticulously crafted and drenched in sublime string arrangements, to which his terrifying, almost possessed vocal delivery adds extra intensity. Here and there, touches of guitar further enhance the overall impact. The tracks featuring Johan Van Roy and Erica Dunham are solid, though not my personal highlights. Nevertheless, they add an interesting dynamic to the record. There are plenty of other standout moments that showcase Dawn Of Ashes at its darkest and most compelling.
This album is far more than just Dark-Electro featuring Industrial elements; it is, above all, a true experience and sounds devilishly good. (Rating:8½).
Listen to “Viral Decay”:
Read the news on ‘Anatomy Of Suffering’.
About Dawn Of Ashes
Dawn Of Ashes formed in Los Angeles in the early 2000s as a dark electronic and aggrotech project built around founder and vocalist Kristof Bathory. The project later grew into a hybrid of industrial, black metal and extreme electronics, with a recurring focus on body horror and occult imagery.
Early releases came through the German label NoiTekk, with distribution via COP International and the Russian label Gravitator. The catalogue runs from “Sacred Fever” (2005) and the debut album “In The Acts Of Violence” (2006) through “Genocide Chapters” (2010), “Anathema” (2013), “Theophany” (2016) on Metropolis Records, and “The Antinomian” (2020) on Artoffact Records.
After “Scars Of The Broken” in 2022 and the 2025 return “Infecting The Scars”, “Anatomy Of Suffering” arrives on Metropolis Records with ten tracks and guest turns from Johan Van Roy, Erica Dunham and BlakMoth.
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
