Little is known about US symphonic Death Metal outfit GODS OF GAIA. The members remain to be anonymous and all what is known is that “As Daylight Dies” is their debut album. It has a length of about 37 minutes, and it was mixed and mastered by Mendel Deminio bij de Leij (CATALYSIS; INSURRECTION; MENDEL). The album was released via Death, Thrash, and Gothic Metal specialists WormHoleDeath from Italy.

The album starts with a short orchestral intro, seamlessly transitioning into “Bow To Me”, which is a powerful and grim track with crushing guitar riffing, lots of double-bass drumming, orchestral arrangements, and growling vocals being around the medium end of the guttural range. It is a track with spine-chilling melodies during the verse and chorus parts at a measured tempo with almost a stomping rhythm. The final part of the track introduces a few melancholic melodies including the piano. “I Want Out” continues with the darkness and it has more aggressive riffing. It is a dynamic track with a lot of tempo changes ranging between slower head-banging parts and mid-tempo parts. The orchestral arrangements are very prominent throughout the song and give “I Want Out” an extra dimension. Highlight is the extended and contributing lead guitar solo. The title song starts fast and transitions into a verse part at mid-tempo with powerful riffing, double-bass drumming, a few blast-beats, and a neoclassical melodic framework driven by the orchestral arrangements. The melodies remind at times on ARCH ENEMY, there are definitely a few vibes present. “As Daylight Dies” is a relatively short track with sing-along chorus lines,

“Interlude” is a short, string-driven inter-lude, however, it is providing the main melody for “The Redeemer”. It is another track at a measured tempo and surely one of the most epic tracks on the album. The melodies are chilling and powerful. The main contributor of the orchestral arrangements are the strings, although the first part of the break is a quiet mixture of strings and piano. The second part of the break is reserved for the lead guitar solo. The chorus melodies have a slightly melancholic touch, but they are also catchy. “The Redeemer” has been released on video, and the YouTube link is provided below. “Concerto” has a strong orchestral start including female operatic vocals, transitioning into an instrumental mixture of orchestra and Metal instruments, where the lead guitar contributions are prominent. The quiet break is mainly an affair of the strings, a bit of piano and brass. The female vocals appear now and then during the track, essentially it is a powerful instrumental with a few traces of operatic vocals. “Downfall” continues seamlessly with the orchestral sound, however, there is a sharp transition towards thunderous riffing, relentless double-bass drumming, and the aggressive growls. Altogether, “Downfall” is a well-balanced mixture of crushing Death Metal and orchestra with epic chorus parts and spine-chilling melodies. The short break is a deadly delivery of technically comprehensive lead guitars at blistering pace. “Downfall” is one of the best album tracks.

“Conscience” starts with a short piano-driven intro, transitioning into a hammering Death Metal carnage, enriched by the orchestrations. The riffing and the drumming are devastating including blast-beat attacks. It is arguably the fastest track on the album. The melodic framework has a few neoclassical inspirations being most evident during the short break. Although, it is mostly a fast track, “Conscience” has also a couple of slower parts with melancholic melodies. “Schicksal (Opera)” is in fact an opera in about four minutes, driven by the strings, and the piano. It is an opera in German with “Schicksal” standing for “Faith”. The opera vocals are female and male, and both form an impressive duet. The album finishes with the head-banger “Our Time” and powerful guitar riffing. It is by far the heaviest song on the album and with almost no orchestrations. “It’s our time to rise” is the crushing final message of GODS OF GAIA on their debut album, and they go certainly out with a bang.

GODS OF GAIA deliver a very good and interesting debut album. “As Daylight Dies” is a cool mixture of everything that defines good symphonic Death Metal: the combination of flesh-ripping Death Metal and epic melodies, blood-freezing atmospheres, and well-composed orchestrations. The album might be at times too melodic, and there might be an over-emphasis on the orchestrations, however, this is a matter of taste. The album is well produced. GODS OF GAIA have a very good start to their career and fans of symphonic Death Metal will be delighted with “As Daylight Dies”.