Innovation is a part of natural progression.  Even amidst creations of adequacy, it is only virtuous that one should attempt to embellish upon the motives of efficiency and propel said creations towards novelty. Of course, that often leads to a saturation of new, inventive directives, which in turn make it all the more difficult to discern a specimen of particular esteem. And when something does arise out of this elaborate field of originality, there is no guarantee that it shall be a product of perfection.

Ok, now that we're done with all that superciliousness...let get real. The world of Metal is a vast one. It is crammed with an abundance of categories, lineages and stylistic nuances that would have a boa constrictor twisting beyond limits. And that is why some bands are forced to try and pull anything out of the bag but the cat to stand out in their given genre. Needless to say, sometimes it works and sometimes you might have as well gone the feline way. And DAWN OF DISEASE's "Worship The Grave" is one such record that reaches deep into the sack, but is uncertain of what it's going to grab.

 In a nutshell, "Worship The Grave" is...well, that's just it... it is a walnut with a hard Death Metal shell and a more jaw-friendly Metalcore centre. And the purists can put down the inquisitional torches, for their former - and primary - stylistic elements are heavy enough to make Tchaikovsky's favourite character bite his tongue. (A reference to the Nutcraker.)

The title track cracks open the pine box with an archetypal Death Metal formula, hitting hard but still remembering to introduce the listeners to the band's particular melodic formula; the aforementioned, Metalcore tinged sound. We then waltz across the cemetery and encounter "The Saviour's Tomb", a concrete slab of heavy riffs and ear-pinching harmonics.

I could of course keep this morbid graveyard excursion going throughout the entire LP, but I'm pretty sure that any Metal fan has been on this tour before. Yes, a vast part of this album is just plain, old-fashioned Death Metal; regardless of how good it is. That is why I must applaud the band's attempts to fuse some other cuts of meat to these bones. Granted that instilling Death Metal with Metalcore may be a risky move, but tracks like the standout "Ashes" and "Cult Of The Fading Light" do in fact benefit from the melodic touch of the latter genre.

Of course, as mentioned prior, innovation is not always a flawless matter. At times the band's attempts at this particular fusion do come off as rather clumsy; but when they focus on their quite potent Death Metal roots and infuse the brew with just a few leafs of Metalcore - on tracks like "Through Nameless Ages" and "The Sky Is Empty" - their music demonstrates some rather pleasant, melodic songwriting potential.

The production however, lets this record down. The muddy mix in conjunction with the compressed sound makes for a messy listen. In addition to that, the vocals of Tomasz W could also benefit from some work; for although his growling is impressively deep and haunting, it is also somewhat uncoordinated.

Overall - this is what one may refer when speaking of 'potential'. DAWN OF DISEASE are not afraid to reach for melodic heights even from the dark pits of their chosen genre. And whilst their debut may be too dry for the distinguished pallet of a connoisseur, with some seasoning, they may even grasp at the melodic edge of such act as CHILDREN OF BODOM. Alas, until then, they will have to settle for a few die-hard, genre fans.