DAWNBRINGER

It is the purity of anything in which Chris Black (HIGH SPIRITS, PHARAOH, SUPERCHRIST) is involved that is a big reason for his projects' genuine passion, boundless energy, and lasting appeal. His approach to DAWNBRINGER's "Nucleus" in particular is the embodiment of not only heavy metal's spirit, but also its foundational songwriting elements. "Nucleus" is distinctly Black for all of those reasons, as well as for the immediately recognizable mid-range/smoky vocals — one reason for the MOTÖRHEAD comparisons - and infinitely memorable melodies that have a way of burning deep into the brain.

But we're forgetting an even bigger reason, aren't we? It is the powerhouse, often NWOBHM-inspired guitar parts that are defining qualities of the Black sound on "Nucleus". You can point to the occasional BM shades, mainly on "The Devil", which is indeed inclusive of a BM-esque section of guitar harmony and a blast beat. But even here the song succeeds because it is a monumental, jam-tastic heavy metal slammer with a superb chorus. The almost reckless, ascending riff that launches the song is an absolute killer. You could also point to the album's doom shrouded moments in describing a diverse mixture of styles; predominantly one of forlorn feel and a "cult" HM wiring that tends to split sub-genres, but is much more direct on the John Bonham levy-break drumming (Black is his own rhythm section on the album) and melancholic drift of "Old Wizard". The plod is present on "Cataract" to, an acoustic/electric number. Black then dives deep into freezing waters on album closer "Pendulum", its acoustic picking oddly dissonant and downright haunting. "Nucleus" offers far more depth and variety than your average heavy metal album.

But stopping there would be stopping well short of telling the full story, one that began with high praise for Black's denim 'n leather star-studded appeal. A classic tale of two halves working in unison called "So Much for Sleep" opens the album and takes no prisoners. Black's driving bass lines, chugging riffs, and lead guitar melody opens the gates through which charges a "Children of the Grave" riff-offshoot march and NWOBHM flag waving power! "You Know Me" maintains that momentum and adds a certain tension in its approach, while "Swing Hard" locks in tight with mid-tempo force, "Like an Earthquake" distinguishes itself with a mix of fuel-injected drive and a soaring chorus melody, and "All I See", quite honestly, kicks all kinds of ass with some fiery soloing as the exclamation point.

Black, along with Scott Hoffman (rhythm and melody guitars),Bill Palko (solo guitar),Matt Johnsen (solo guitar),and Scott Haskitt (acoustic guitar),forged "Nucleus" in the furnace of a heavy metal foundry still operating in a rust belt wasteland and packaged it with an organic Sanford Parker production. "Nucleus" is without a doubt one of 2010's best metal albums and certainly one of its most genuine.