Fire on Dawson refer to themselves as an "...alternative progressive rock band...we like long walks on the beach...the longer the better..." The imagery here is multi-colored; romance, solitude, high/low tide and the accompanying emotions, nature, serenity...so many tangents creating so many opportunities. The coherent option is to start with the music--so open the floodgates and let the festivities begin!
Stepping to the buffet for a large first course, I come away with a plateful of "God of the Lost." The soft guitar opening belies the depth of the tune; in quick succession the music rains down over your auditory senses and fills your head with hard hitting drums, guitars, and vocals. Fire on Dawson leaps off the disc and kicks you right in the forehead. The mood is extremely dark, yet there is light struggling to shine through...you can feel the thrashing through the headphones. Strong top notes of Opeth and Tool permeate this track, as well as the smoother side of Atomic Rooster.
Strolling surreptitiously back to the buffet for a second serving, I come away with yet another powerful piece called "Hit Me." This one races at you full force from all sides, making you feel like there is nowhere to hide--until the sudden mood swing stills the air--but you know the raucousness will be coming back around the bend. The alternate hammer blows and soft coddling paint as vivid a picture as you can stand. In amongst the darkness and pain is genuine confusion as you begin to feel hopelessness turning to rage. Fire on Dawson drives a spike through you ears with this piece; dark yes--but oh, so powerful!
Liner Notes...Calling Karlsruhe, Germany home, Fire on Dawson is Ankur Batra on vocals, Markus Stricker on guitar, Martin Sonntag on bass, and Max Siegmund on drums. Fire on Dawson released their first album, "Prognative" in 2010, and followed that up with the exceptionally explosive "Seven Billion and a Nameless Somebody" in 2012. The international make-up of the band shines some light on the flavor of their sound...Fire on Dawson lights a blaze in your brain with a blowtorch and then extinguishes the flames with a simple breath of fresh air. The mood swings dark to light and back again. Agile and focused is the listener, walking a tightrope ever so gingerly--as much to gain strength and inspiration as to not lose his/her balance. Fire on Dawson leaves nothing in the quiver--every arrow is fired full force with each note played and syllable sung.
My third-and last--portion from the prog buffet is a song called "Pseudo Christ." Fire on Dawson walked the length and breath of the prog garden only to step three paces out of bounds and till their own acreage. The ability to look inward while projecting outward is rare and mightily appreciated. This piece lashes at you just long enough to give the impression of yet another metal prog blast--but they dig oh so deep with the vocals. Let this one melt over you like hot fudge running down the side of a banana split...
Deciding which clip to post here was anything but tedious...Fire on Dawson paints with as much emotion as any prog band I've listened to recently, so I decided to to offer up "Synthetic Part I." I chose this not so much because it is dark--but because it is so damn raw. Fire on Dawson gets under your skin and into your bloodstream like an ice cream headache...the immediate rush forces you to stop dead in your tracks, but once the initial shock subsides you ride the emotional wave and brag to all your friends. This piece is not exactly Fire on Dawson stripped down--they just allowed their inner souls to be exposed for your gratification. Learn more about Fire on Dawson; check out http://www.fireondawson.com/ and https://soundcloud.com/fireondawson. You can also follow the band on Twitter, @fireondawson and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fireondawson. Gratify yourself and support Fire on Dawson at the same time...purchase one or both of their CD releases while you're doing all this Internet searching and listening...
Well fellow progheads, "Fire on Dawson...Take One" is officially in the books. One of the more intriguing things these past seven days was how deep Fire on Dawson cut with every guitar stroke and drum beat. My search for all things prog continues to unearth astounding music and more importantly, the artists behind the curtain. This two weeks of merriment culminates next Tuesday with an interview with Fire on Dawson. Please join me on this extended stay in Germany and get to know the scene-behind-the-scene...until next week...
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