"The Dawn Of Horror" by ZOMBIE LAKE is the very definition of a 'rough around the edges' album. It's one of those records where the sound quality is so ramshackle you're left wondering if they actually ventured into a studio or simply set up a microphone at home, played all afternoon and taped the results. It's extremely raw and under-produced and leaves you in no doubts about what their live shows must be like. On the flipside though it's so ragged that it'll put off almost everyone except for those who like their extreme Metal to be as low-fi as possible.

It's especially frustrating when you realise that there are a few decent tracks hidden in the swamp mater mix. ZOMBIE LAKE deal in high speed Death Metal and don't have many tricks up their sleeves, but there are a few gems to be found. "Dead Eyes" for instance is akin to a completely horrible alternative version of "Clean My Wounds" by CORROSION OF CONFORMITY. It has a stuttering lead guitar riff and is almost catchy, while "Motorcycle Hammer" is an entertaining and light-hearted piece of big dumb fun.

For the most part though ZOMBIE LAKE aren't that impressive. "Bridge Over Bloodred Water" is a repetitive and unremarkable opener which unfortunately sets the tone for most of the track list. The songs have a tendency to stick around for too long and while the subject matter is drawn from horror movies, it's alarmingly dull.

Thanks to the poor audio quality it's also very easy to miss anything that might make them stand out. The vocals occasionally get lost in the mix, the guitars bring to mind toasters popping up and the drums could easily be a man hitting a set of bins and it would be impossible to spot the difference. This does lend it a certain charm but this is an album you need to concentrate on very carefully in order to spot the best bits and ZOMBIE LAKE don't have enough of them to reward your attention.