EP Review: Dialith – Alter (Self Released)

Connecticut based symphonic power metal band, Dialith, are back with a brand new EP titled Alter, due for release on the 5th of April.

Dialith is an epic symphonic power metal band from Danbury, Connecticut. Formed in 2015, Dialith made an impact with their 2019 debut album, Extinction Six. Blending epic orchestral arrangements with enrapturing melodeath riffs, Dialith aims to breathe new life into the symphonic metal genre with tracks that draw inspiration from varied sources, from death metal to pop music to Arabic and Celtic folk music. Alter is the continuation of Dialith’ s2021 EP Atrophy, the second in what will be a trilogy of EPs that culminate in a full album.

With Alter, Dialith aim to push further the boundaries of symphonic power metal through trailblazing ventures into new sonic territories.

Vocalist Krista Sion comments:

“With every new release, I think that the quality of the songs just gets better and better. All four songs on this EP are high-energy, unique, and special to me. I am looking forward to releasing this out into the wild.” 

Dialith is Mark Grey on bass and Irish Whistle, Cullen Mitchell on drums, Krista Sion on vocals and Alasdair Wallace Mackie on guitar and orchestrations.

Alter opens with the track, Writhing Red. A song that really leans on the folk side of things with a nice atmosphere set in the intro and a strong drum beat that quickly grabs your attention. Vocals are clean, melodic and nice to listen to and there is plenty of instrumentation going off. There are flutes and fiddles, but also decent riffs and drums. Vocals carry a folkish meandering melody and have plenty of layered harmonies. I love the orchestations in it – it certainly ticks the grandiose box comfortably. The drums really stand out for me – in a song that is pretty slow, very melodic and gentile, the drums are on fire and almost seem like they are playing their own song, and it’s a fast and heavy one. It’s cool. 

Ironbound ups the tempo a bit and is a really catchy song with a glorious chorus. The band have stated that chorus is inspired by author Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series, which is a nice touch. The drums are great, again, and there is a nice bassy riff combining wonderfully with the orchestration, with pianos, violins and the works. The chorus is the focus of the song here and it works though there is a cracking solo that fits the song seamlessly and really gets the adrenaline flowing. This is a very good song.

Though there are 4 tracks on the EP, so we have two left, they are both part of the same song starting with the introductory Hourglass (Shadowdancer Pt. 1) before ending with the main track, Shadowdancer. I have really enjoyed what I have listened to so far but feel that these two tracks best showcase the variety and creativity within Dialith. Hourglass is a gentle, melodic song that leans heavily on Middle Eastern atmosphere, themes and instruments and sounds different, and gives Dialith a unique edge that doesn’t necessarily shine through as much in the first two tracks.

It leads seamlessly into the main Shadowdancer song and continues on that same Middle Eastern theme but now with the crunch of some intense and superb drumming and riffs. That combination of traditional sounding instruments and orchestration working alongside the bass, guitars and drums is such a treat for the ears. The very strong vocals add more weight to a song that stands out on Alter as the pick of the bunch.

Dialith are clearly a talented band and their song writing, orchestrations and ideas are truly impressive. I do find, on Alter, that as much as I enjoyed listening to the whole EP, it really came to life when we hit Shadowdancer. I enjoyed the first two tracks a lot, but Shadowdancer is a level up and shows what the band is capable of. The first two tracks demonstrate they are very good at doing what you would expect from a symphonic power metal band. The last two show they have way more than that to offer and can breath new ideas and new life into the genre.

Alter is a very good release and will sit comfortably with any fan of symphonic power metal.

Dialith Links:

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