DREAM UPON OF TOMBS is here; this Australian melodic blackened death presents its debut release via SLEEPING CHURCH RECORDS, released on the 3rd of March, 2023. The first song for discussion is the opening piece "The Call," which welcomes the listener with clean, harmonious riffage of the guitar -following suit with a deathly surge of aggression from the instruments and vocals, which consist of snarling growls, rhythmic drum strikes and beautifully melancholic and dark-complex riffs. As one continues their dark and despairing journey and the next song for discussion is the second song, "Hollows Eve," which greets the listener's ears with clean but bleakly melancholic riffage -with a slight build-up-simultaneously developing a rawer blackened feel soon as the vocals kick in... with a subtle melody that breaks through and soars gently above the riffs and vocals at intervals-simultaneously a dark but beautiful listen. In such a way, the next and final track for discussion is the third piece, "Ghost Of Dawn," a song that builds on a dark, ominous, melancholic atmosphere with raw vocals.

"Palaces Of Dust" provides and delivers the listener's ears with nine beautiful and dark songs that combine (not only) the slow -dirge of funeral doom with the raw sound of black metal but with the melodic attitude of melodic death metal provided by excellent craftmanship and musicianship that gives the listener's ears a musical spectrum that's dark, melodic, complex -but yet beautiful and melancholic. At the same time, this leaves the rest of the album to talk about, and that is the composition/characteristics that consist of various tones, moods/atmosphere and tempos- simultaneously convenient to place at the right moment and the musical/instrumental and lyrics composition and score, which is done a darkly-perfection, while the sound production is well executed and captures dark and beautiful music from the moment of pressing that play button. So, bringing, the last bit to talk about is the instrumental and vocal artistry, consisting of dark melodic (complex/beautiful) riffs with a nice sinister edge, acidic vocals with a raw and menacing ooze, various drum strikes/fills and beats and keys/synths to added to the dark and melancholic beauty.

At the same time, the closing piece, "Twins of Evil," closes with ghostly keys (sounds like a ghost of a weeping widow is playing the harp in a grave under a pale moonlight) and a haunting atmosphere of the wind whistling through the music. At the same time, a short haunting piano piece on the fourth track, "Twilight, A Silent Farewell", can be heard. Closure "Palaces Of Dust," with the closing track "Of the Mist," kicking off with an upbeat of the guitars before moving to that dark and raw (aggressive) musical spectrum.
"Palaces Of Dust", in my opinion, is a good and solid release, melodic and dark -yet beautiful and melancholic at the same time.