Album Review: Dawn Heist - Catalyst

Djent is a ludicrously named sub-genre (how about utilising progressive-metal, or Meshuggah worship and be done with it?), but there's evidently a local market for such sounds.

This notion hasn't escaped Dawn Heist, although the Sydneysiders' groove-laden, melodic synth/programming-coloured fare offers a vibrant, if occasionally overly derivative take. Their debut is a concept album which explores “reality in three different forms”. Each chapter, from lush, introverted soundscapes to pure rage to a slick sheen echoing Mnemic or Textures' 'futuristic metal' adds to the palette which paints this dense sonic picture. A work in progress, but they're rapidly learning their way around a contagious hook.