Edge of Dawn - Borderline Black Heart

http://www.edgeofdawn.de/ / Http://www.myspace.com/edgeofdawnde


Track Review

01. Black Heart (Alpha) -5:04
'Black Heart' deals with the borderline personality disorder that is marked by frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. Those persons are often unable to control their rage, what leads in some cases to recurring personal fights. Borderline patients are able to build up very emotional social relationships because they are able to conceive love or hate much more intense than normal people. Unfortunately those relationships are very unstable and usually don't last long. If there are indicators that it would last those patients often cancel them. That was just a short explanation of the background, but this song also deals with time and how fast it passes “One more minute/hour/day you'll never get back”. This remix was made by Olaf Wollschläger and he beefed up the original song made it more club-friendly. He also added some nice new songs and effects to the song.

02. Split Second (Undertow) - 4:20
“A cosy prison like a house build on quicksand” seems to properly describe the fact that a relationship with a borderline patient - even though it is intensive - is rather unstable and often is condemned to fail. But there is something else that happened that is not specified, but it must be something very terrifying something that could never be undone - “some things can never be undone, are unforgiving”. After this event, the whole world and every colour disappears in an undertow of sadness and regret. Frank Spinath teams up with Mario Schuhmacher once again, who has a little vocal part in the song. His voice sounds so fragile during his part, like the part he had in ‘Beauty lies within’ which causes me goose bumps every time. The song itself is quite catchy if I may use that term. It is full of longing and very melodic.

03. Descent (Fractured Remix) - 7:35
'Fractured' is not only the name of the band who did the remix. The term also gives you a hint of what to expect. What I really like about this version is that it is a complete rework. There is no sound in this remix that was used for the original except for the vocals. What it also really remarkable is that even though the remix is completely different from its original it keeps the atmosphere and melancholy of the song intact. The song jumps pond between different parts. At the beginning there are this truly beautiful strings and piano sounds, but there's also a rumbling that slowly gets louder and louder and then... a break and the scenery changes and heavy drumming and some amazingly bass effects are dominating as well as the well-known 'Fractured' glitches.

04. Second Split (The Party Girl) - 4:45
“Welcome to the dark side” sounds maybe a little bit theatrical but that was the first thing that came into my mind when I heard that song. 'Second Split' is like the other side of a medal or a look in the mirror if you want. While 'Split Second' was very melodically and full of melancholy 'Second Split' is harsh, dark and angry. The voices in his head are getting louder and try to gain control. “Teach the party girl a lesson from the underworld...”

05. Black Heart (Coeur Triste) - 5:52
This version is much more different than the original. The atmosphere that strangely reminds me of an autumn walk on a very cloudy and cold day embraced by a strong wind. This atmosphere is contrasted by the lyrics which are renowned getting more powerful during the chorus, what sounded a little bit unusual to me at first, but it grew on me a lot with every new listen. It is also a real slow remix, so it is rather something to listen to at home than for a club. The drum programming is very heavy and quite complex and in the background you can also hear some piano chords that add another melancholic note to the song.

06. Kiss or Kill (feat. Charlene April) - 4:25
“If fate grants us with a second chance...” That is a question many of us ask themselves from time to time. Would we change anything in our lives or do particular things in another way with the knowledge we have now, if we had the possibility to do so? In this particular case, this sentence refers to a relationship that is close to the end or has already ended. The musical realization is - without a doubt - absolutely fantastic. The atmosphere is so overwhelming that I’m often close to tears, when listening to this song. Charlene April was also a good choice for a duet. Her and Frank’s voice are harmonizing very well. This song is definitely my favourite on this EP.

07. The Nightmare I am (Stromkern Remix) - 4:55
STROMKERN completely reworked this song and provide it with a complex break-beat arrangement. Piano chords and some chorals appear as well, while the piano chords are pretty processed with some reverbs and they have been reversed as well, what sounds very nice to me. The lyrics show the inner conflict of the protagonist especially in the chorus this is obvious “torn between love and sin you don't understand”. Well of course it's very hard for someone who's torn between such deep and strong emotion and it must be hard to watch someone suffer like that, if you are in a relationship with him/her.

08. Black Heart (Beta) - 5:17
At first I thought this one was quite similar to the 'Alpha' but the further the song develops the more it gets audible that the two versions are quite different. The 'Beta' Version of ‘Black Heart’ is a lot more melodic than the alpha as the string arrangements and wide synth layers are much more dominant as well as the - in my opinion - better drum programming that comes up with some very cool additional sound gadgets.


Cover Picture