As I said when we premiered an excerpt from this release, at this point I am always anticipating the next Dawnwalker release. It's not just because of past performance, although having several of my favorite albums of all time in their discography of course doesn't hurt. It's more because I can always trust the project to do something interesting and new on the next release, to reinvent themselves in some way. On the face of it, The Between is not a major example of this trend; it certainly has more in common with The Unknowing and Ages than House of Sand had with Crestfallen, for example.
However, it still represents something new and daring for the band - a guided journey. The Between is marketed with, and delivers on, the promise of a meditation. As such, it is a continuation of The Unknowing, which placed heavy emphasis on alchemy, psychopomps, and metaphysical journeys. The Between sounds like it to; it has that same ponderous melancholy that the previous album had, relying on the heartbreaking and morose clean vocals to convey most of this emotion. However, it also reaches back, especially towards Ages, for heavier moments of harsh vocals, crashing chords, and unbridled, barely contained chaos.
It makes sense - Dawnwalker's penchant for post-metal has always contained something of the journey within it, a slant towards storytelling. But on The Between this is made explicit and actually turns into one of the album's greatest strengths. If you sit down and listen to it, The Between truly is a journey. Divided into clear segments, with their own atmosphere but revolving around the track's main thread, the thirty-two eponymous track guides the listener through not a descent but a passage through, a transformation into something new. On the way, the heavier elements of the music are used to convey confusion, struggle, and the pain of rebirth, while the cleaner elements stand for wisdom, contemplation, and striving catharsis.
The album also features some of the band's more impressive compositions, working in piano, synths, alto saxophone, and multiple vocalists as it sees Dawnwalker expand into a twelve (!) piece band. The saxophone is an especially delicious highlight on this release. It is worked so beautifully and organically into the musical story and journey of the release, it's peal standing like a pole whenever it appears in the composition, a moment of clear insight that is beautiful to hear. There are other stand out moments for all the other instruments, like the furious blastbeats that score the more chaotic parts of the work, or the creepy synths that guide us towards its center.
Overall, this is one of Dawnwalker's more complete works, even if it is "just" thirty or so minutes long. It showcases why I love this project so much, both for the common threads that run through their work and for the differences and fresh perspective they bring to each album they release. Here, their blend of post-metal, progressive rock, art rock, and more is brought to beautiful precision, wielding the much increased member count. Nothing has been added simply for the sake of excess; everything works as part of the whole, transmuting it into a great work of music.