Review: “Alvorecer” by Godeater

“While the release of “Vespera” signified the end of one chapter of GODEATER, “Alvorecer” is very much a new beginning. We have a new line-up, new sounds to play with, a new sense of energy and a new sense of our place in the world of extreme metal.” ~ Ross Beagan, guitars

The last eight years have been something of a wild ride for Glasgow Technical Death Metal outfit Godeater. Purely by chance we were lucky enough to witness their first ever live show, a performance on the second stage at Tech-Fest in 2017 while the band were still very much in their infancy. Our next meeting would be at The Black Heart in London in 2019 with their debut album “All Flesh Is Grass” which was another ferocious performance that lives long in the memory. 2022 was the year that everything changed however. They unveil their critically acclaimed sophomore album “Vespera”, an affair mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordström at Studio Fredman (In Flames, Obscura, Architects) which broadened their horizons by incorporating both Melodic Death Metal and Deathcore elements, giving them a distinctive melancholic overtone. However before the year was out bassist Will Keogh and vocalist Josh Graham all exited stage left leaving drummer Tim Coulson and guitarists Ross Beagan and Andrew Macdonald holding the fort. Slimming down to a four piece they recruited vocalist Jamie Harrison, a man known for his work in The Argent Dawn, Nexilva and Sleep Inertia before returning to Studio Fredman…

A fistful of dynamite, “Alvorecer” clocks in at just short of twenty four minutes of new music from a band who can only be described as underrated despite the seriously impressive quality of their previous two albums. At this point, if there was any justice in the world they would have been opening for bands like Bleed From Within across Europe with “Vespera”, such is the high regard with which that album is held. They begin this new record with the barnstorming “Leech” which finds thunderous percussion providing the spine for serious fret-board wizardry as the lead guitars take a leaf out of the book of bands like Inferi. Harrison’s trademark brutal roar is met by contrasting soaring clean vocals from Macdonald in a track that simply asks “why can I not find a reason to live?“. Bleak and melancholic, this one feels like the band never left the studio after “Vespera” was completed and represents a dark new dawn of destructive power. “Encased in Wax” follows suit stylistically with crushing riffs and almost cinematic tinges, a spellbinding solo adding a touch of epic majesty to a prayer for the dying, the dead and the damned. This one sounds like it belongs on the soundtrack to the next Hollywood Horror blockbuster, such is the quality and you know fans up and down this green and pleasant land are going to be raising their fists and chanting the song tile when its performed live. That’s obvious from the first listen, a mandatory requirement that will be in the small print on every single ticket.

It has to be said that Studio Fredman is the perfect place to have a record like this mixed and mastered because there are roots in the sounds of Scandinavian scene that run through the very heart of this. “The Enveloping Grey” is a battering ram of a tune, galloping drums and cinematic textures wrapped around Melodic Death Metal guitars providing rich, dark textures as the atmosphere swirls in malignancy. Both captivating and enthralling, it has all the tension of a Stanley Kubrick classic, the haunting synth passage before the final third masterfully done. Intentionally or otherwise that feels like a command for a wall of death when performed live because the verse and breakdown that follows hits harder than a heavyweight boxing champion. Instrumental interlude “Reprieve” is nothing short of stunning, orchestrations building the darkness and melancholia so that it consumes the discerning listener, devouring the mind before the savage “Soil & Steel” rises like a beast from the black depths. Blast beats and death growled vocals are soaked in Technical Melodic Death Metal guitar work of the highest order, creating another captivating tune to help you breathe more easily. Forget any pre-conceived notion that “Alvorecer” is some kind of stop-gap release because its an extended play and not a full length album because its utterly majestic in its own right and doesn’t disappoint even for a fraction second [9/10]

Track Listing

1. Leech
2. Encased in Wax
3. The Enveloping Grey
4. Reprieve
5. Soil & Steel

“Alvorecer” by Godeater is out 28th November 2025 with merch available here.