From the moment I saw this band's name I was curious about what they sounded like. If Ivory Night is not the ideal name for a Power Metal band, than I don't know what is. Ivory Night has a lot of potential and with future albums may become a force to be reckoned with.
Ivory Night formed in 1997 in Kaiserslautern, Germany. They have already played several festivals and opened for Final Virus. Dawn Of The Night is their first (self-released) album.
Dawn Of The Night is very impressive for a first effort. All of the music is good but the guitar and bass work particularly stand out. Ivory Night's sound is a bit darker than traditional Power Metal but not quite as dark as say, Tad Morose or Morgana Lefay. I hear a slight Helloween influence in their music, as well. Ivory Night's music ranges from dark poignancy and sometimes down-right creepiness.
Insane, for example, is a cool song that really lives up to its name. There are also fun headbangable tracks that make you want to sing along, such as And I Fly. You will find more of the latter on Dawn Of The Night. There is only one weak song on the album, My Dearest Love. It lacks a certain passion. The singer has superb range and sings, predominantly, in his clean voice. Every so often, his growl will make an appearance and it is a satisfying crunchy sound. He has a noticable accent, which can make understanding him a little more difficult. This is not a problem, however, because they included a lyrics sheet.
Ivory Night's lyrics range from slightly bad to good. They may want to work on them. The production is surpringly good for
a self released cd. I would say that Dawn Of The Night is a worthy album, better than most first efforts. I have high hopes for this band.