“After The Dawn” is the sixth proper release from the Florida duo Ancient River. The 8 track album was released as a joint effort by Little Cloud Records and Acid Test records. So long ago starts things off with a Zepplin like guitar riff combining some serious fuzz, heavy bass, and swirling spacial effects to create a somewhat dark atmosphere. “Trust In Me” follows with a slow build-up for some 5 minutes with some solid rhythms and chorus style whispered vocals. I kept waiting for this one to really take off but in a way, it left me hanging. Until The End” follows with some heavy grooves and effect-laden vocals leading into a nice freakout before the wind-down. “The Nothing” serves as a brief interlude in a somewhat Floyd style eventually leading into the standout track “King Freak” the 7-minute track that bounces back and forth between heavy dirges and quieter passages quite effectively. “Walk with me takes a very classic rock approach and psychs it up a bit. “With Love” takes a very different approach with a more mellow prog sound based on a heartbeat sounding rhythm. The album closes out with the epic “Under the Stone” a somewhat trippy buildup to the eventual wall of sound before the gradual fading out to a swirling hiss. This one needs a few more plays to get a better feel for it. Definitely a bit on the darker side of things.
You can pick up After The Dawn at Little Cloud Records or have a listen on Bandcamp
