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Showcasing a level of talent rare for a band only two years in, The Effigist is a promising debut album. Melding tech metal, symphonic elements and a sprinkling of progressive ideas, they show an understanding of groove, dynamics and restraint often lacking in bands so young and some seriously cool riffs on the likes of album highlight Lady Snowblood. But Embrace The Dawn aren’t the finished article. For all the promise shown here, there are too many occasions where they allow their ambition to run away with them and leave a perfectly good song hanging on until it starts to outstay its welcome. Get the editing process right and cut the right amount of fat out on album number two and we could be embracing Embrace The Dawn very tightly.
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Stephen joined the Louder team as a co-host of the Metal Hammer Podcast in late 2021, eventually becoming a regular contributor to the magazine. He has since written hundreds of articles for Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Louder, specialising in punk, hardcore and 90s metal. He also presents the Trve. Cvlt. Pop! podcast with Gaz Jones and makes regular appearances on the Bangers And Most podcast.