Sonrise

Sonrise is the debut studio album from the Norwegian Christian metal band Schaliach. It was released in 1996 through Petroleum Records to a mostly positive critical reception. In particular, the guitar work from Ole Børud was praised. In 2005, Momentum Scandinavia re-issued the album with an additional track - "Purple Filter", that originally appeared on a compilation album.[1]

Sonrise
Studio album by Schaliach
Released	1996
Recorded	1995
Studio	Studio 19, Hamar, Norway Ideal Mastering, London, United Kingdom
Genre	Christian metal, melodic death metal, progressive metal, death-doom
Length	45:27
Label	Petroleum
Producer	Schaliach Fred Dalbakk
Alternative cover
Cover art for the 2005 re-issue

Style and lyrics

The style performed by Schaliach was variously described as doom metal,[2][3] death metal,[1] death-doom,[4] Gothic metal,[5] black metal,[5] melodic death metal,[6] and progressive metal.[7] The guitar playing by Ole Børud — likened to a "metal symphony" — is strongly influenced by classical music and was compared to that of Metallica as well as Dream Theater, Threshold, Shadow Gallery, and Teramaze.[2][4][6][7] The instrumental track "Coming of the Dawn" is accompanied by piano and string instruments.[2] The overall sound of the album was described as similar to Amorphis.[4][6]

The lyrics on the album are explicitly Christian, drawing heavily from the Bible and referencing Christ and the love of God for all of humanity.[2][4] "You Maintain" is written from the perspective of God pleading with an unbeliever, and "A Father's Morning" from the perspective of God speaking to a wayward Christian.[1] Though an instrumental, "In Memoriam" is dedicated to unborn children who were aborted.[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Matt Morrow	90/100[1]
The Phantom Tollbooth	[4] [7]
Rock Hard	4/10[5]

Sonrise was received very well by most critics. Alex Cantwell from Chronicles of Chaos described the record as "excellent doom with a distinct Norwegian flavour."[3] HM writer Matt Morrow in their review of the 2005 re-issue rated the album 90/100 and called the album a "classic". They expressed the opinion that while Sonrise "may not have been the best the genre has ever seen, but the emotion that a band with a brutally heavy sound and growled vocals could convey was quite impressive."[1] Josh Spencer from The Phantom Tollbooth rated that album four-and-a-half out of five, calling the duo "astounding!"[4] While they felt that the production value and overall sound was not at the same level as Amorphis's Tales From the Thousand Lakes, it was great enough for them.[4] Shari Lloyd, also of The Phantom Tollbooth, said that they were not disappointed, and they gave the album a four out of five.[7] Lloyd stated that though growled vocals are not usually their style, on Sonrise they did not mind them since the music was the main focus.[7] Rock Hard was far less favorable to the album, rating it 4/10.[5] They considered Schaliach boring and that the sound on the album was muffled and mashed together.[5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"The Last Creed"	R. Joseph	O. Børud	6:43
2.	"You Maintain"	O. Børud	O. Børud	7:50
3.	"In Memoriam"		O. Børud	2:23
4.	"A Father's Mourning"	O. Børud	O. Børud, P. Dalbakk	9:25
5.	"A Whisper from Heaven"		O. Børud, P. Dalbakk	4:53
6.	"On a Different Day"	O. Børud, P. Dalbakk	O. Børud	5:42
7.	"Coming of the Dawn"		O. Børud	3:08
8.	"Sonrise"	O. Børud	O. Børud	5:23
Total length:				45:27

2005 re-issue

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
9.	"Purple Filter" (bonus track)	O. Børud	O. Børud	4:50
Total length:				50:17

Personnel

• Peter Dalbakk - vocals, rhythm guitar on "A Whisper from Heaven" and "Coming of the Dawn"
• Ole Børud - guitar, bass, drums, additional vocals

Additional personnel

• Øyvind Å. Berg - piano, strings
• Schaliach - production
• Fred Dalbakk - co-production
• Jeff - mastering

References

1. Morrow, Matt (n.d.). "In the Shadow of Death - A Scandinavian Extreme Music Compilation". The Whipping Post. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
2. Powell, Mark Allen (2002). "Schaliach". Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. pp. 795. ISBN 1-56563-679-1.
3. Cantwell, Alex (July 7, 1999). "CoC : Extol : Interview : 7/7/1999". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
4. Spencer, Josh (1997). "Schaliah review by The Phantom Tollbooth". The Phantom Tollbooth. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
5. "Schaliach - Sonrise". Rock Hard (in German). No. 127. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
6. Waters, Scott (n.d.). "No Life 'til Metal - CD Gallery - Schaliach". No Life 'til Metal. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
7. Lloyd, Shari (1997). "Schaliah review by The Phantom Tollbooth". The Phantom Tollbooth. Retrieved 2020-04-15.