Afterdawn

Hearing New York City’s Afterdawn's Break is sort of like catching lightning in a bottle. It’s maniacal and barely contained, but a thing of awesome power and (yes) beauty nonetheless. Exploding out of your speakers like the wayward child of a Soundgarden/Evanescence union, Afterdawn brings dark intent and purpose to the studio or stage and you’d best prepare to rock or be rocked.

Led by able front-woman Corynne Wilder, Afterdawn has crafted a sound that could be called Grunge-Metal. Wilder wails and struts her vocal stuff to full effect here, with outstanding support from guitarist Steve Solution. The rhythm section Matt Kaskela and Vinny Listrani may well rival the early work of Lifeson/Peart.

Highlights are Bury It Deep, Top Of Occasions and Peacemaker, but all five songs are very much worth the listen. Afterdawn is a band on the rise. If you listen closely to what’s going on underneath here in the music, this is a band with significant creative potential over the long haul. No three chord wonders here, so check them out while they’re still new and reasonable accessible.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5) - Wildys World

Out of New York city comes an explosive new force to the rock scene. Afterdawn has recently released their new five song EP Break. The band manages to combine beautiful vocals with a lot of heavy hitting, in your face instrumental work. This album can best be described with a quick run through of each track.


1. 'Bury It Deep' - This song starts off with a heavy riff and quickly leads into the rock inspired vocals of front-woman Corynne Wilder. The track moves at a fast pace and provides a good opener for what the band is about. The vocal work is very catchy and pleasant to listen to.

2. 'Top Of Occasions' - First opening with some guitar work laid down by Steve Solution, this track then moves on to a softer, more atmospheric phase. The second phase does not last too long, as the band kicks everything back up a notch. The song then closes out with some fast and hard hitting instrumental work.

3. 'Last Chance' - Featuring a mix of soft vocals and some fancy guitar work, this song really stands out. Corynne does a phenomenal job matching up with how the guitar is paced. The momentum and energy throughout 'Last Chance' really keeps the listener drawn in and guessing what is around the next corner.

4. 'Sure Way Out' - The softest part of the album, but still no slouch. 'Sure Way Out' mixes in some heavy transitions to give the track a unique feel. The way the band maneuvers around between the two tones really adds a lot of emotion to the song.

5. 'Peacemaker' - The final song features a darker vibe, both lyrically and musically. There is more aggression here. It is almost as if the band has been building everything up until this point. Jumping around quite a bit, Afterdawn displays their versatility. A great ending that leaves the listener wanting more.

There's not much to dislike here. The vocals are clean and catchy. The instruments meld together and keep everything flowing. Afterdawn has honed their own gritty rock sound to make things stand out from other bands. After a few listens through I found myself still drawn to the music and wanting to sing along. Each song on Break oozes with emotion. Every part has a distinctive feel and there is never a dull moment. Rock fans will feel very comfortable giving this album a spin. Afterdawn shows a lot of potential and I eagerly await their future releases.

Rating: 8.5/10 - Femme Metal WebZine

Dark, rockin', agressive, and a very interesting write up I must say. Love the artwork too. I am anxious to know what happens After Dawn? Nice female vocals, perfect for the ever changing emotions of the tracks. This is excellent! We are giving you 15 slots for tracks so lets hear some more! - admin

Here are some things people are saying after a live Afterdawn show:

"i think my skull just opened and spilled my brains out onto the floor... in a good way!"

"I was expecting to enjoy the show but my expectations were surpassed... I got more and more into their songs as the set progressed. If they break up I'm jumping off a bridge."

"It makes me want to have a full length CD of all the songs, especially the new ones so I can play it all the time over and over again!"

"...this is just damn great rock n' roll"

"Afterdawn sounds like...the members of Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and Stone Temple Pilots all got together for a year-long sabbatical in a Gothic cathedral somewhere in Spain, bringing all of their instruments and a special device designed to isolate and extrapolate the core essence of whatever was to erupt from their synergistic explosions. It worked."

"That was AWESOME! You really have something special there. Looking forward to seeing a sea of gaping jaws when you rock a crowd who has forgotten what real music is like."

"very classy soul-jazz vocals with a funky metal edge. great stuff"

"Hey listen, I'm a really lucky guy, I get to spend my whole life with very talented people, and this right here is a set of very talented motherf***ers, man... Afterdawn!"

"I watched the whole lineup, and these guys just handed all the other bands their own asses."

"THEY ROCK!!!! When they play on the stage this is just magic in the air!!!! Amazing."

"Afterdawn is 80 kinds of awesome!"

"You guys know what you like, and NY has some of the toughest critics in the world, this is one of the best bands in NYC right now, no doubt about it. Keep your eye on this band- Afterdawn!"

"The live show makes me want to break things. Over my head. And in my face. Glass things. Stomping on them and throwing them, gleefully. Into my own face and on my head."
- Afterdawn

Though Soundgarden may be long gone, there is no shortage of bands that have been influenced by them. One of the latest is New York based Afterdawn, who display Soundgarden style grooves combined with female vocals on their newest EP Break. But while many other post grunge groups have been mere copies of those that came before them, Afterdawn appears to be one the few that is looking to add some unique ideas into the genre.

The instrumentals are where Afterdawn is going to get the majority of their Soundgarden comparisons. The riffs have the raw energy and hard rock grooves that Chris Cornell and his group once offered, but by the end of Break have begun to take on a life of their own. Although there is plenty of roughness, tracks such as "Sure Way Out" offer quite a bit of melody as well. There are a few minor mixing issues throughout the course of Break where the guitar and bass sound jumbled together, but this is likely due to the fact that the band doesn't have as large of a budget compared to bigger groups and therefore shouldn't really be counted against them.

Vocalist Corynne has a great voice that is melodic but has more rawness and energy than your average female rock singer. I've seen a reviewer or two compare her style to Evanescence but this doesn't really seem accurate, as her singing is focused on being loud and full of attitude. Instead, I'd compare Corynne to some of the other great garage rock bands featuring women such as Slunt and Loudlife, though Afterdawn is still distinguishable from these two. Corynne is given the focus throughout this album, and listeners will definitely be waiting to hear more from her after listening to Break.

Break showcases a band that has clearly inspired by some of the greats, but has their own ideas to offer as well. Afterdawn has done what should be done with a short release of this type: inspire interest for what is still to come. The five songs on here are full of energy and are extremely enjoyable, and if someone could give this group a contract and get them a slightly bigger recording budget I believe that they could go far. Grunge may be dead, but the bands that have been inspired by it seem to be thriving. - Cosmos Gaming