Dusk are a strange band. They are considered to be the fathers of the Pakistani metal scene (although some say that Kainath/Kosmos were the founders) and have gone through numerous line up and musical changes since their inception. The band started out playing old school Death Metal in 1994, but by the time they recorded their first demo in 1997, they had incorporated doom and progressive metal influences. Those influences would take charge of Dusk’s sound when they (finally) released their debut album, My Infinite Nature Alone. After MINA, Dusk released another experimental album in 2003, Jahilia. Jahilia brought in some folk and other experimental elements into Dusk. Although those elements were present in Dusk’s debut album, their sophomore effort had even more of those elements. When Dusk released Contrary Beliefs in 2006, they were no longer the same band and the acoustic folk elements had taken complete control of their sound.

Musically, this EP is a complete U-turn and it is surprising how a band can release two completely different albums in the same year. Contrary Beliefs marked the end of Dusk’s seven years of experimentation, and Dead Heart Dawning announced the return of Dusk’s old style. And to help achieve a “return to the roots,” Babar Shaikh dropped his vocal responsibilities and passed them on to new member Yusri Maha Durjana (of Cardiac Necropsy). The rest of the line-up remained the same (I cannot confirm this, though, because of a lack of information about this release) but the change in vocalists was to be the main change.

After a short intro (the first track), the EP kicks into full gear with Dreaming Gotishya, which blends the atmosphere of the progressive era Dusk with the sheer brutality of early Dusk. The vocals are instantly recognizable, and are a welcome change from Babar Shaikh’s weak whispered grunts. The guitar solos in this track are pretty melodic and offer a good contrast with the dark riffage. The next song, Sorrows of the Flesh, is slower than Dreaming Gotishya and resembles (old) My Dying Bride a lot. This song isn’t as original or as dark as the one before it and leaves a bad aftertaste.

The title track is perhaps my favorite track on this mini-CD, and it’s a great way to close off the EP as well. The title track is a pumping death/thrash song that has a cool doom-ish middle section and another great melodic solo to close it off.

Overall, a good EP and a great return to form for Dusk, and more importantly, Babar Shaikh. I recommend this EP to anyone who enjoys death/thrash with doomy moments.