Hailing from New Brunswick, Rusted Dawn are a modern thrash act with a penchant for aggression and punkish tendencies. Although somewhat lacking in the refinement and maturity departments, debut full-length The Black Tides of War shows promise that the band may be able to carve out a spot in a somewhat over-saturated scene.
Rusted Dawn straddles the line between the angriest side of the Bay Area movement and D.R.I.-ish crossover, complete with the occasional blast beat, gang vocal, and splattered guitar solo. Every ounce of their being is focused on speed and aggression, all the way down to the solid drumming and hoarse vocals. Among these ten songs and 35 minutes are multi-sectioned thrashers such as “Waking Streets” and sub-3:00 punkers like “Stigmantis” and the riffy “By the Hammer of Thor,” the album’s strongest track. For the most part the shorter tracks rock hardest, not giving the band time to get repetitive or lost in more ambitious song structures. The production ventures a bit into overly meaty territory, which muddles the faster moments and harms the overall effectiveness of the attack, but it does sound nice and thick in the rare moments when the band shifts into a lower gear.
Despite its faults, The Black Tides of War is an enjoyable debut that should appeal to fans of the style, especially those who prefer some political bite with their thrash as opposed to blatant cheesedickery (lookin’ at you Toxic Holocaust). Rusted Dawn seem like the type of band destined to win more fans over with a live act, thus selling albums at shows and gaining popularity gradually. The fervor is there, here’s hoping they figure out how to mold it into some truly classic songs.
