THE DAWN OF TIME

Out of the Dusseldorf-based rock band Kawumm came the birth of Shades of Dawn,when vocalist/guitarist Hans Jürgen Klein joined the band and the rename followed in 1993.Shortly after original guitarist Karl Nothen left them along with his bluesy style to be replaced by Klein's melodic approach.Shades of Dawn suffered from line-up changes since then with original members Wolfgang Schmidt (bass,guitar) and Annette Schepermann (keys) quiting and newbies keyboardist Cyrill Stoletzky and bass player Theo Labs joining shortly after.This line- up recorded ''The dawn of time'',released on Early Birds.

Filled with long tracks,''The dawn of time'' will satisfy any fan of Symphonic Rock with some Neo Prog elements.The sound recalls bands as COLLAGE, ANYONE'S DAUGHTER, AMENOPHIS and MARILLION.The guitar work is excellent,slighly distorted, delivering plenty of breaks,melodic solos and dreamy passages.Klein is supported by a talented Cyrill Stoletzky,who's keyboards are everywhere with both aggresive and atmospheric style.The flashy synth soloing,light organ passages and Classical-inspired piano will leave you speechless.The compositions are all in a high level with numerous shifting moods,a grandiose atmosphere and a huge amount of energy.However Klein's vocals are questionable,not actually bad, but definitely accented and with a need for improvement, marking the long instrumental sections as the album's highlights.

This is very good Symphonic Rock with both guitars' and keyboards' explosions and anyone searching for this particular style along with a high level of energy will find ''The dawn of time'' absolutely fascinating.The album still comes strongly recommended for fans of Classic Progressive Rock and Neo Prog...3.5 stars.