Throes of Dawn

Throes of Dawn
Origin Finland
Genres Dark metal, Black Metal, progressive metal
Years active 1994–present
Labels Auto-Production (1994-1995)
Woodcut Records (1995-1998)
Wounded Love (2000-2004)
Avantgarde Music (2004-2010)
Firebox Records (2010-2012)
Associated acts Rotten Sound, Cartilage, Vomiturition, …And Oceans, Black Dawn and Enochian Crescent, Radical M Project, Veristi, Vuohivasara, Enochian Crescent, The True Black Dawn, Nocturnal Feast
Website Official website
Members Henri "Kaamos" Koivula
Jani "Zeus" Heinola
Harri Huhtala
Juha Ylikoski
Henri Andersson
Juuson Backman
Past members Matti Suomela
Toni Jokinen
Teemu Jokinen
Mikko
Mathias Pharmacist
Jani "Martex" Martikkala

Throes of Dawn is a dark metal band from Finland, formed in 1994 by Henri Koivula (vocals) and Jani Heinola (synth). Throes Of Dawn's Music and lyrics has been known as emotional and progressive dark metal. The band's sound is built on the combination of synths and guitars, laced with clean vocals and additional growling and screaming vocals. There is unique atmosphere and depth in the music that flows like an ominous soundtrack to a surreal and bittersweet end. The lyrical concept of Throes of Dawn is often poetic, reflecting the deeper and darker aspects of the human psyche; solitude, feelings of loss, and the fears and pains of existence.

Biography

The band's sounds are a mix between Synth and guitar's with their vocal styles blended with clean vocals with some additional growling and screaming vocals. The atmosphere of the band's music flows through the surreal and bittersweet end, to making it a soundtrack of life. The band's lyrics are often known as poetic, which is pointing towards the darker aspects of solitude, feelings of loss and the fears and pains of life. Their debut album Pakkasherra was released in 1997. The band has released five albums since then with their latest album "The Great Fleet Of Echoes". On April 30, 2010 the band played the entire album "The Great Fleet Of Echoes" from start to finish for their special live performance at the Graveyard Party 2010 in Gloria Helsinki.[1]

Career History

Full Line Up, Demo's and First Album Release (1995–1997)

After Throes of Dawn got their full line up together, the band started making their first demo tape. After the demo tape was released the band sigend with Woodcut Records[2] in 1995 making it the first deal of the band's history. This first deal led to the band's very first release of their promo tape of Pakkasherra in 1996 which made it an official release for the album Pakkasherra in 1997. But later that year after the release of Pakkasherra the band supported the Norwegian black Metal Band Satyricon in Helsinki.

"Dreams of the Black Earth" record release(1997-1999)

The band's second full-length album Dreams of the Black Earth was recorded in the legendary Tico-Tico studio in late 1997. This album had a unique sound to it, which made the band's music show how they developed from the Pakkasherra album and also showed how mature and organic the band's music sounded. Only one song of the album Dreams of the Black Earth was released as a taster in 1998 in The Blackened Rainbow MCD. In 1999 the band's second album Dreams of the Black Earth was released worldwide.

New Record label with Release of 3rd Album(1999-2000)

The Recording of the band's third album Binding of the Spirit took place in Tico-Tico studios in Autumn 1999. The album had a better sound quality to it the Previous albums along with the production was better, the band ended up showing a darker and more depressive side of their Dark Metal genre. The album was released through Avantgrade Music sub label Wounded Love[3] in Spring 2000. With the reviews of the album by the press and listeners were great, the album got good reviews worldwide.

Hiatus (2000-2003)

Right after the third album Binding of the Spirit, things with the band members got complicated as the founders of the band Henri Koivula and Jani Heinola moved from their hometown Vaasa to Turku and Helsinki. During this time the band was practically dead for a few months and Jani and Henri were wondering of splitting up the band altogether. However, during the course of time Jani and Henri decided Throes of Dawn was not dead yet and they got back together with the band with a new line up, with all members but Henri residing in Helsinki.

The new members came from bands that were already familiar to Jani and Henri from the times in Vaasa: the lead guitarist Juha Ylikoski had played with the band Rotten Sound, the bassist Harri Huhtala had played in Cartilage[4] and Vomiturition. Their drummer Jani Martikkala, had been with …And Oceans, Black Dawn and Enochian Crescent.[5]

(2004-2005)

After Several years of intense songwriting, Throes Of Dawn started recording their fourth album Quicksilver Clouds in 2003 at Sonic-pump studios in Helsinki. New features to the album combined into the traditional Throes of Dawn sound, which helped open a completely new version of the dark metal genre. After a year in the studio Quicksliver Clouds was finally released in 2004 by Avantgarde Music,[6] with great feedback from the metal press. During the promotion of the new album, Throes of Dawn made numerous successful live shows with bands like Anathema, Orphaned Land and Green Carnation. Besides the band, performing in Finland they also went to Germany, The Netherlands and Russia as well.

New Album, New Member, and New management (2006-2010)

It took altogether almost 6 years for Throes of Dawn to release their 5th album "The Great Fleet of Echoes". After the release of “Quicksilver Clouds” the band started to experiment with new elements and sounds for their music. They composed new material and recorded new demos, but with lack of a deadline from the record label the pace was somewhat slow. The band eventually decided to record the album themselves, with the help of familiar sound technicians. The official recordings of the new album did not start until around November 2007. Through some various locations, trails and sessions the recordings and mixing ended in November 2009.

In early 2010 Throes of Dawn announces new member Keyboardist Henri Andersson[7] As said on metalunderground.com the one of the members quotes "We are very happy to announce a new addition to our line up. In Hard Rock Laager festival keyboardist Henri Andersson became our sixth permanent member. Mr. Andersson has been playing with us live since the beginning of 2010 and fits our gang perfectly. Welcome to the band Henri!"[8]

The mastering of the "The Great Fleet of Echoes" was done in Finnvox studios, and the whole album had a good outcome. There is a flow in the new album like never before, which is introducing another dimension of the band from Subtle, melancholic, atmospheric, and profound. "The Great Fleet of Echoes" has a clear expansion in the songwriting, which showed more progressive and melodic approach to the band's type of music. It has a firm of a logical step forward, to the musical journey into the essence of the band. The band's fifth album "The Great Fleet of Echoes" released worldwide through their new current label Firebox Records in February 2010

Great fleet of Echoes Feedback, Stolen Equipment, Departure of drummer Jani Martikkala, New drummer with talks of a New album in works (2011-2013)

On 03, January 2011, Throes of Dawn has received great feedback of their Album "The Great Fleet of Echoes". From the Finnish Inferno-Magazine which chose the Throes of Dawn album the 2nd best of the 2010 Finnish albums. As well with the Spanish Friedhof Magazine ranks the album as 2010’s top 10 best albums. A few days after the great feedback for the album between January 10–12, 2011 some one had broken into the band's training facilities and stole almost all of their music equipment. Luckily for the band not everything that was taken that day. Just for the things that were stolen from the facilities were things for both financial and tremendous sentimental value, for example the Marshall JCM800 was taken, which was on the first three Throes of Dawn albums, is now gone.[9]

The thieves of the equipment that were stolen had a huge impact on the band’s musical instruments and accessories, for some of the equipment taken feels completely irreplaceable and completely unique designs, according to the band. The value of the goods that was stolen, is greater than $10,000. The Police department Property crime unit of Helsinki is on the case. The band along with the Helsinki police is very thankful for the tips and the leads that were given, which may help find the thief. Few weeks after their equipment was stolen on the 27th of January, 2011 a significant part of the band's rehearsal equipment that were stolen were found. Not many details could not be revealed, for the thieves that stole the goods were still missing.

The Equipment that was stolen from their facility.

On February 9, 2011 the band had received a nomination in the best Gothic metal album of the year category for their album “The Great Fleet of Echoes”.[10] Throes of Dawn officially announced the departure of long time drummer Jani "Martex" Martikkala on November 9, 2012. As said on their official page,

“Throes of Dawn has parted ways with the drum player, Jani Martikkala. Jani has been a member in the band for 10 years, and needless to say, we share lots of good memories together. However, life and priorities change and we decided to part ways with mutual agreement.”[11]

Soon their after, they made an announcement of new dummer Ex- Swath, Thales, and All Dreams Dying Juuso Backman. Throes of Dawn also made the statement “Juuso shares the taste and vision of how our music should sound like, so he will be a perfect addition to the Throes of Dawn roster.” For the new anticipated album, to be released in early-mid-2013.[10]

Breaking the Silences, Sixth Studio Album (2014-2015)

On the band's official Facebook page, they posted a statement on 2014, 24 April in regards of breaking the two - three year silences and explain about a new album in the horizon. The statement says

″OK folks, Time to breach the long silence and see what's happening in the TOD land: We are soon entering studio to record the drums and some miscellaneous instruments for the upcoming sixth album. The recordings will take place early May in D-STUDIO at Klaukkala, Finland. We have carefully selected and refined seven songs which might potentially appear on the upcoming album. We have put quite a lot of effort on these songs; a lot of hours spent at the rehearsal place playing and drinking beer and thinking about the compositions and structures. I might even dare to say that we have never put so much effort and thought on these things before. I would also like to mention that the band is in a state which you can only achieve with years of dedication and hard work. The spirit and the motivation shown by everybody has made working with this album a really pleasant journey. This album will be a real, natural continuum for the previous "Great Fleet of Echoes" album: progressive, layered, melancholic - the songs are even more epic and atmospheric, introducing some of the longest songs we have ever composed. And it is finally time to leave all the growling vocals behind, especially from this album, so it's only clean vocals from now on. After the drums are recorded, the recordings will continue in small sessions throughout the summer and autumn. It might be optimistic, but ideally it would be great to get the album released within this year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Throes of Dawn. Henri K. TOD″[12]

They also have stated on 2015, 30 March that Henri their vocalist had finalized the final vocal tracks for the remaining songs for the album in D-studio, Klaukkala Finland

Record Label

In September 2009 Throes of Dawn signed to Firebox Records which they would release their 2010 Effort "The Great Fleet Of Echoes" which was the band's first major studio release with Firebox Records.[13]

Band members

Former members

Discography

Demos

Promos

EPs

Albums

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, July 17, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.