https://metalonmetalrecords.com

NEW ALBUM:

"FIVE SIGNS OF MALICE"

"Five Signs of Malice" is the fifth full-length release by Portuguese doom metal pioneers DAWNRIDER, celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. Clocking in at just over 40 minutes, it consists of five songs and an outro that blend into one another seamlessly, creating an immersive listening experience. It's a bottom-end-heavy, guitar-heavy and '70s-style-keyboard-heavy album, driven by chunky riffs just as much as the organ which gives it a vintage flair, bordering on proto-doom with psychedelic undertones. While the band maintains mostly a shuffling doom tempo with ponderous jamming grooves, they occasionally break into pumping mid-tempo sections. Filipe Relêgo's deep, commanding vocals, also featured on their previous album, paint dark pictures of villainy, depravity, lechery, dread and decadence. The production is richly organic, thanks in large part to the exceptional mixing and mastering work by Tony Reed (Pentagram, Mos Generator, Saint Vitus, Electric Wizard...). DAWNRIDER's new offering will be a perfect addition to collections featuring albums by NOMAD SON, BLOOD FARMERS, DOOMRAISER, genre forefathers BLACK SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE, PENTAGRAM, BEDEMON, TROUBLE, SIR LORD BALTIMORE and BLUE CHEER, as well as doom disciples such as REVEREND BIZARRE, ORCHID or OGRE.

RELEASE DATE:
October 2024

BIOGRAPHY:
2004: DAWNRIDER is born. Founder members F.J. Dias, Hugo Conim and João Barrelas team up with the first rhythm section (Victor Silver and Samuel Rebelo).

2005: Blood & Iron Records releases their first record: a split EP with Maryland's WAR INJUN.

2006: The band starts recording the first album. Samuel leaves and Carlos "Sven" Ferreira enters. The band opens shows for ORANGE GOBLIN and IRONSWORD.

2007: Debut album "Alpha Chapter" is released by Raging Planet. André Silva replaces Victor. The band opens for ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY and FIREBIRD. Barrelas leaves the band for a while.

2008: The band plays the famed SWR-Barroselas Metalfest and features on the live DVD of Irmandade Metalica Fest.

2009: Second full-length album "Two" is released by Raging Planet. "Irinia" 3" CD single is released in a super limited edition of 100 copies by Universal Tongue - it contains two rehearsal-demo covers of Diamond Head and Saint Vitus recorded in 2005. The band plays at a festival with PAGAN ALTAR as the headliners.

2010: Barrelas leaves again. Pedro Vieira and João Seixas replace Carlos and André. The band is going on with one guitar only and opens for VICIOUS RUMORS at the end of the year. First official video clip ("Evil Deeds") from the 2009 album is released.

2011: A split 12" maxi single with APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE is released by Blood & Iron Records, Metal Soldiers and Raging Planet. The band opens for SLOUGH FEG. Pedro leaves and Barrelas rejoins now for the bass duty. At the end of the year, their "official bootleg" live album is released by Raging Planet and Universal Tongue. It contains as bonus tracks one "alternate take" of the song of the split 12" and the two songs off the split 7" with WAR INJUN. Hugo Ramos replaces João Seixas.

2012: The recordings for the third album start. The band opens shows for VALIENT THORR and THE HOOKERS.

2013: The recordings continue and João Barrelas leaves definitely. Hugo Ramos leaves too for professional reasons and the band gets suddenly a six-piece line-up completed by Pedro Santana on bass, J.P. Costa on keyboards, Ricardo Matias on the guitar and Nelson Rocha on drums. All members participate in the new album adding solos, arrangements, etc. J.P.'s keyboards fill all the songs and give a new dynamic to the band sound. The mix and mastering process is slower but better this time than for the previous albums. The band opens for the classic '80s heavy metal band XEQUE MATE. They also open again for VALIENT THORR. A retrospective ultra limited edition VHS video is released by Universal Tongue.

2014: The second official video clip "Cry of the Vampyre" is released. "The Third Crusade" is released on CD by Raging Planet and At War with False Noise. The cassette version is released by Caverna Abismal. Raging Planet, Chaosphere and Hellxis release a split 7" with the U.S. hardcore punk band THE HOOKERS with unreleased songs by both bands. The band opens for NIGHT DEMON. Nelson leaves and João Pedro Ventura enters. JP Costa and Ricardo Matias leave and are replaced by Marco Galrito and Diogo Simoes. The band opens shows for THE SKULL in October and for TROUBLE in November.

2015: Picture disc LP version of "The Third Crusade" is finally released in March, with a different layout than the CD. Filipe Relêgo join the band on bass.

2016: The band opens shows for BULLDOZER, LORD VICAR and IRONSWORD. Francisco Dias leaves the band, and Filipe Relêgo take on both bass and lead vocals duties.

2017: The band goes on the road with the new line-up and opens a show for OMEN.

2018: DAWNRIDER is still active and still playing old school doom metal!

2019: The band plays some shows and goes to studio to record "The Fourth Dawn".

2022: "The Fourth Dawn" is released as an LP and CD by Alma Mater Records. At the end of the year, the band records their next full-length "Five Signs of Malice".

2023: The band plays dozens of shows, promoting "The Fourth Dawn".

2024: DAWNRIDER continues playing shows. Later in the year, they sign a deal with Metal on Metal Records for releasing "Five Signs of Malice" on CD and digitally, and with Firecum Records for the vinyl edition.