Every single review I read of this just praises the name of this here band. They also mention the word "metal" more than once (and usually more than twice, too) in their review. Well, guess what Dawn of Orion is? Pure freakin' metal. Done the way it definitely should be done. Fast and furious. Full of quick riffs and fast drumming, this 7" is amazingly heavy. The vocals are some sick stuff, too. Slurred to a degree, but screamed enough that they complement the music to the greatest extent. Three songs on this one that will make your mullet grow nice and long. This one certainly isn't for the hardcore kids, but of course you can tell that just by looking at the ancient painting of Greece back in the days. I, of course, love this one. Like I said though, this isn't for you hardcore kids. Undecided seems to be pumping out some really good, innovative stuff. Pick it up if you're metal.

I didn't even have to give this one a second thought. As soon as it came out, I picked it up immediately. I just knew it was going to impress me to no end, and that it definitely accomplishes just that. Dawn of Orion are easily one of my favorites. Really sick metalcore. More metal than a lot of bands that take that claim, too. The vocals are tortured as hell, which is probably one of my favorite aspects. The music is just really good drumming with two guitars that just shred with high-pitched tones and lots of metal riffs. Definitely one of my favorite bands. Their seven-inch on Undecided is just as amazing as this, so pick that up if you don't have it, and pick this up too while you're at it.

This is a band that will be difficult for people to pigeonhole. The music is death metal-ish but the vocals are what keep it from being categorized. I wouldn't say that the vocals are full death growls. They sound more along the line of screamed hardcore/thrash vocals, bordering on death. Mike strains the hell out of his throat, I would imagine. Whatever it is, DAWN OF ORION is G-O-O-D. I've had this demo in my tape deck since I saw them live and they astounded me. Their live show is powerful, not really emotionally, but just pure brutality. Some of the riffing on this is reminiscent of SLAYER and sometimes has a black metal sound to it, at least to me. The lyrics are the typical anti-God/anti-religion schtick, but at least they're included so I can growl along as I listen. There seems to be an equal amount of brutal-a** "groove" parts as there are non-"groove", more pure death (non-power chord?) parts, the stuff that doesn't get moshed to. I like it all. All the while, the band rips shit up with the four songs featured on here, favorites being "The Ancient Promise" and "Gates of Emptiness". "The Ancient Promise" shows the full potential of the band, with Zach beating the drums senseless while Craig accompanies him on bass. Erik grooves away on the guitar and does the black metal riffing I referred to earlier. It's just a really catchy song with lots of fast and slow parts. The newer material they play live is much faster and even incorporates some blast and lots of double bass. They should have a CD out sometime in the Summer. This demo is a steal at $2 with a color cover and lyrics. The only thing I'd suggest doing differently is not using anymore Gustave Dore` cover art. Too many bands use it. That's a small thing, though. I'd like to figure out where the intro on "Twilight Eternal" is from. I know it's somewhere in the back of my brain . . .

The b**ches are back with another release, this time on wax. I got a "promo" of this long before it was actually released, so I've had more time to jizz on it than most people. After being turned onto DAWN OF ORION by a friend and bandmate of mine, I've enjoyed everything I've heard from this band. It's hard to pigeonhole their style. There are pinches of hardcore in the sound, but Dawn of Orion is definitely not a "hardcore" band by any standards. They're full fucking metal. I mean, they have blast. No hardcore band does that. Anyway, these three tracks are brand new. Unless you've seen them live, you ain't heard 'em. They are "Sown into Flames", "On Broken Wings" and "For Dying Eyes" and all three are great. The band's newest member Sam Cape adds his talents on guitar, giving the band a chance to utilize guitar harmonies. I'm still not sure what my favorite track on this 7" is. . . probably "Sown into Flames" just for the harmonic and melodic parts. Rest assured, there's still plenty of aggression to go around.

DAWN OF ORION @ Under the Couch Atlanta, Georgia March 6, 1998

This show actually had three or four other bands playing, with MORNING AGAIN being the "big" band (The only thing fun about Morning Again's set was mocking the "hardcore" guys dancing). However, as I hate hardcore, I'm not going to talk about those bands, so this will be a slightly shorter review. All you need to know is DAWN OF ORION kicks ass. I'd never heard anything by them until that night. I went to the show with some friends and it was my first time at Under the Couch, a cool little place to hold shows. Kind of like a house show, but not in a house. That place is ideal for metal bands, since most are underground, but it seems like mostly hardcore bands play there. Anyway, we got there and Dawn of Orion was the first band to play. All the guys in the band are cool people to start with as I'd been introduced to them by my band mates Steve and Sam a short time ago at the ENTOMBED show. After they set up their equipment, the band ripped through six songs, if memory serves. I didn't know any of their stuff until after the show, at which point I bought their demo (It rules. Review elsewhere in this issue.). I think they played all four songs from the demo, plus two new ones. I do remember the vocalist, Mike, saying that this show was the last time they were playing "Gates of Emptiness", which after getting the demo, I found to be one of my favorites, so that's unfortunate. The two new songs they played killed anything on the demo, though! This show was definitely worth attending; I was seriously blown away by this band. If you get a chance to see them or get their demo, do yourself a favor and check them out. --goden

Metal fans beware! Dawn of Orion will kill you. Like angels singing, this is beautiful, devastating metal that will take you to domains you haven't heard before. Three songs of blistering guitars that rely on speed and technicality, fast, unrelenting rhythms, and frightening, screamed vocals. Fans of Creation is Crucifixion, Suicide Nation, and Fate of Icarus will drool over this.

For real, there's NO hardcore on this album. This is straight up, blazing, melodic metal! Lots of wicked, crazy, technical guitar licks, fast, spastic beats to slow and creeping, and sick, twisted vocals. Think At The Gates and Overcast. If that rings your bell, you'll be all over this. Amazing!

Dawn of Orion (Atlanta) contributed metal that made me wish for a Viking helmet.

My initial reaction upon hearing this record was "Man, if I havent heard this a million times before". I really did not want to like this seven inch, but the more I listened to it, the more I loved it. Dawn Of Orion play extremely fast metal core that you intially want to dub "Slayer rip offs" but it's a lot more. There's a lot of death metal in there (especially the vocals, I love the vocals) and I can pick out a few black metal influences here and there too. All in all, this record is one of the finer metal releases I've heard within the past year and when these guys do a full length, it will definetely be something to hear. Keep an eye out for Dawn Of Orion. RA

Yeah dude, lust after those prophecies undone! At least one of these guys lives in Doraville, Georgia- a suburb of Atlanta. I love Doraville. Hey- if you’re ever in Atlanta be sure to eat at Cafe Sunflower in Sandy Springs- Mmm! Lots of destructive metal. “The splinters pierce your heart while your sun hangs to die with such a decisive crime. I’ll forever kill your face.” Oh man!

Return To The Land Of The Living