Archetype - Dawning FLAC

2002’s Dawning was the first (and to date, only) full-length album from US progressive metal band Archetype. Of the many American bands to emerge when progressive metal hit (relatively) big at the end of the ‘90s, Archetype was one of the better ones, largely because they incorporated more power metal and less Dream Theater into their sound. They were technical, but not obnoxiously so, and they didn’t bother with keyboards, which was pretty unique. Dawning is a pretty heavy album, with some crunching riffs and a vocal performance that adds a lot of power. I’d call it a midway point between Fates Warning and Iced Earth, if you can picture that.

Archetype never really breaks into essential territory with Dawning, but it’s still a very solid progressive/power metal album. I’d rank it alongside much of what you’d find on the Nightmare label at the time, and bands like Kategory V, Prototype and Halcyon Way. It’s worth picking up if you’re really into this kind of music and aren’t necessarily expecting something at the Symphony X/Evergrey level.

Edition Notes: Dawning was reissued in 2004 by LMP. The reissue features a new mastering job and a pair of bonus tracks. I’ve only heard the original version, which did have issues with the mastering.