The other day I posted about the thrash band Detente and promised there would be a follow up about their lead singer Dawn Crosby. Here’s me keeping my to my word.

After fucking crushing it with Detente, Dawn would emerge in the ranks of the band Fear of God, a band significantly different that the dirty, aggressive thrash attack of Detente. For one, this album came out on Warner Bros, a huge record label and in the 90’s that makes me think that Warners was banking on this band being another Metallica or Danzig, or Megadeth. I bring those bands up because this sounds like a 90’s metal record, meaning, there’s a mash up of styles, both popular and not, and a good, overall production value. You might expect it to be thrash given Dawn’s previous band, and there certainly are some thrash-ier ragers on this album but it’s that 90’s thrash. More melodic, less riffing, mid-pace. Most of the album is more of a moody, gothic sort of vibe. Goth-thrash, if there was a thing. There’s also moments of slow, moody, swaggering guitars similar to what Danzig was doing at the time, especially when the pinch harmonics come in, which they frequently do.

Now this might sound like a negative review but in fact I think all that works to bands benefit. Combined with Dawn’s killer vocal performance which sees her sticking to her nasty growl and snarl, as well as more emotional, quieter moments, I think this is a pretty unique and killer album. Yes, it sounds like there was studio notes all over this album and it’s clearly being marketed to a specific audience, but I somehow they make it all come together into something rather unique. As close to mainstream 90’s metal as we’ve come on this blog, but the band manages to maintain their power. Especially interesting as Dawn was crushing it on vocals for two killer bands when females in metal was even more rare. Dawn passed in 1996 but these albums she left are fucking killer. Check it out.