Review by Nathan GDL on November 19, 2021.

With the sudden and overwhelming rise of Deafheaven and the laughingstock of bands like Ghost Bath coming as the forefront of the modern blackgaze trend, it's hard to actually find bands post Sunbather that sound completely original and innovative. Although An Autumn For Crippled Children's Try Not To Destroy Everything You Love is a year older than Sunbather, it gets compared to it unjustly, mainly due to them both being post black metal leaning and both sharing pink album art.

As the album opens with the legendary 'Autumn Again', the track does not fail to surpass everything that has been done thus far in the genre. If there's one thing that AAFCC is perfect at, it's setting up the album, as the first song on every album tends to be my favorite, and the most bombastic. The synths that pop in like rays of the sun are perhaps the trademark sound to AAFCC, and it works so wonderfully as they use the synths throughout the album in the tightest of spots and the most luscious of places. The drumming on this LP, and perhaps, with every release after it, is an interesting take on the genre's normal pattern. The drums are extremely perky and spastic but in the best way possible. The fills on this album would never work outside of what they do here, especially on faster tracks such as 'Autumn Again' and 'Closer'.

The band works together with the closest metal equivalent to the legendary "Loveless" album by shoegazing pioneers My Bloody Valentine. The album, especially on tracks like 'Never Complete' and 'Hearts Of Light', have the warm and summer like atmosphere that suffocates the listener with its wall of beautiful noise. Around the 2:00 mark in 'Never Complete', the wall of suffocating beauty only grows as a long and drawn-out bass line bends over and surrounds the listener in a blanket of summery nostalgia. The guitars shimmer on tracks like 'The Woods Are On Fire', 'Avoiding Winter' and 'Starlit Spirits', where the tone is so full and rich that it literally feels like an orange ocean sunset illuminating some beachfront town with a warm, golden blaze. AAFCC is a mid-paced band as well, with tempos not exceeding the BPM of other blast beat crazy blackgaze bands, which only adds to the overwhelmingly luscious atmosphere this LP contains. Such an atmosphere only adds to the aesthetic of the band, as earlier releases such as Lost and Everything tend to stick to the more depressive and melancholic side of things.

With the soft pianos of 'Sepia Mountains For Her Lament' to the overwhelming suffocation of 'Never Complete', I could not give this album anything less than it deserves. One of my top three albums of all time.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Felix on January 8, 2021.

I have to say this now, even if it has nothing to do with Just Before Dawn in particular. It is insane to think that producing or consuming music gives you even an inkling of war. I am not a pacifist, but the war obsession of some musicians sometimes amazes me. Again, this doesn't only apply to Just Before Dawn, but anyone who wants to glorify war should first have marched 40 kilometres over dusty roads one day with a full pack. The next day again and again and again. Unwashed, a few lice under the armpits, little to eat and no women far and wide. You don't need a Russian winter or a wet hole in the ground on the Somme, let alone enemy artillery fire, to find it all a teensy bit uncomfortable. Sorry for this – now to the music on An Army at Dawn.

Just Before Dawn are known to enjoy working with a variety of singers. On Tides of Blood Dave Ingram did the lion's share of the vocals, this time it's again a who's who of rough throats. Naturally, this works sometimes better and sometimes worse. As a conservative bone, I would wish for more consistency in the singer's position, but of course the Swedes' deviant approach is also no reason to break the baton on them. However, from my point of view the vocals of Matias Nastolin in 'The Guns at Last Light' do not work very well. This represents a slight deterioration compared to Tides of Blood. Unfortunately, the song material cannot quite keep up with that of the predecessor. The title track captivates with its melancholic, dark riff, which is replaced by double bass fuelled passages. But the song also has a blemish. At least at the beginning it sounds suspiciously like Bolt Thrower's "...for Victory".

Anyway, there are undoubtedly more powerful, atmospheric, accusatory and fatally heart-breaking songs to discover. 'To the Last Tiger' boasts with mighty riffs, the up-tempo number 'Goliath Revived' pulls the reins tightly and the massive 'With Everything We Hate' rolls in like a tank. But the bombing explosiveness of Tides of Blood is missing for long stretches. This time the songs come from a structured brain instead of an angry gut. This is not inherently worse, but in the case of Just Before Dawn, the changed approach is a bit to the disadvantage of impulsiveness. Obviously, Just Before Dawn still stands far apart from the legions of uninspired death metal combos whose songs oscillate between spectacular harmlessness and awe-inspiring incompetence. The slight downward trend is nevertheless regrettable. Fortunately, it is not reflected in the production. An Army at Dawn – by the way, great artwork – convinces with a mature, meaty mix that is heavy enough for devotees of the genre and smart enough for curious walk-in customers.

The bottom line is that the Swedes clearly do more right than wrong. They have even thought of the evil Adolf, especially at the end of 'The Atlantic Wall'. That could be a snippet from "Downfall", when the Führer gives orders in the bunker that no one can carry out anymore. Anyway, it sounds demonic and reminds us that the dead are counted at the end. An Army at Dawn is not a blitzkrieg, it rather gives the feeling of a battle of attrition of traumatised soldiers. At least that's how it feels to me, who never had to go into battle either. Lucky me.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10