At the Dawn of War

Recording history

At the Dawn of War was recorded, mixed and mastered at the Mailmen Studio, Utrecht, Holland, during September and October 2004 by Martijn Groeneveld, Grimbold and Shamgar. The album was produced by Martijn Groeneveld. Few session musicians participated in the recording: Ulvian played guitar and sang additional vocals, and the choir consisted of Fionnghuala, Othar, Mick Boogerd, Renske van Dijken, Rob Kikkert, Jos Lucas and Patricia Lucas. The album's cover painting was done by Kris Verwimp.

At the Dawn of War was at first released as a limited 500 copies edition digipak, and included the Upon the Fields of Battle DVD. Afterwards the CD and DVD were released separately.

Musically, the album incorporated more folk influences to the band's style, and Ohtar sings more folk vocals. The fantasy elements were taken a step a head from The War That Plagues the Lands as the choir adds epic battle hymn feel. The lyrics on the album continue from where they were left on the previous album, telling an epic fantasy tale of a battle between armies of good and evil. On the At the Dawn of War Tour the band's live shows showcased medieval warrior outfits and war paints. The song "Thunder of War" was released as a maxi single, and a music video was shot for the song. The video was included to Upon the Fields of Battle DVD and was also shown on local music channels of the Netherlands during the release. The bonus track "Cries of the Haunted" is a re-recorded version of the Falconry album's first song.

Track listing

1. "From Out of the Mist We Came Forth" – 3:16
2. "Call to Arms" – 8:08
3. "Mortal Serenity" – 5:05
4. "On the Eve of Battle" – 7:27
5. "Besieged" – 3:19
6. "The Spoils of Treason" – 6:11
7. "Thunder of War" – 4:02
8. "Black Raven Death" – 4:58
9. "Desertion" – 3:18
10. "Under a Moonlit Sky" – 6:05
11. "Cries of the Haunted" (Bonus Track) – 4:47

Personnel