Sonrise

Sonrise
Studio album by Schaliach
Released	1995 (1995)
Recorded	1995
Studio	Studio 19, Hamar, Norway Ideal Mastering, London, UK
Genre	Christian metal progressive metal extreme metal Gothic metal
Length	45:27
Label	Petroleum
Producer	Schaliach Fred Dalbakk
Alternative cover
Cover art for the 2005 re-issue

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]

Style and lyrics

The style performed by Schaliach was variously described as doom metal,[2][3] death metal,[4][5] melodic death metal,[5] death-doom,[6] Gothic metal,[5][7] black metal,[5][7] and progressive metal.[8] Likened to a "metal symphony", the music is strongly influenced by classical music and was compared to that of Metallica as well as Dream Theater, Threshold, Shadow Gallery, and Teramaze.[2][6][8] 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.[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][6] "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.[4] Though an instrumental, "In Memoriam" is dedicated to unborn children who were aborted.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Matt Morrow	90/100[4]
The Phantom Tollbooth	[6] [8]
Rock Hard	4/10[7]

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."[4] Josh Spencer from The Phantom Tollbooth rated that album four-and-a-half out of five, calling the duo "astounding!"[6] 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.[6] Shari Lloyd, also of The Phantom Tollbooth, said that they were not disappointed, and they gave the album a four out of five.[8] 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.[8] Rock Hard was far less favorable to the album, rating it 4/10.[7] They considered Schaliach boring and that the sound on the album was muffled and mashed together.[7]

Yngve Litleskare Leine of the Christian youth magazine Itro noted that the instrumental track "Coming of the Dawn" was described by a reviewer as "praise without words".[9] Metal Injection opined that the angel statue depicted on the 2005 re-release is a metaphor for how the band carved "a tribute to the divine" out of mostly hard and heavy music.[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. Sonrise (CD). 2005. Album liner notes.
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. Morrow, Matt (n.d.). "In the Shadow of Death - A Scandinavian Extreme Music Compilation". The Whipping Post. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
5. Drachman, Jillian (2022-03-06). "10 Killer Norwegian Bands That Only Released One Full-Length Album At Most". Metal Injection. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
6. Spencer, Josh (1997). "Schaliah review by The Phantom Tollbooth". The Phantom Tollbooth. Archived from the original on 26 May 2001. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
7. "Schaliach - Sonrise". Rock Hard (in German). No. 127. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
8. Lloyd, Shari (1997). "Schaliah review by The Phantom Tollbooth". The Phantom Tollbooth. Archived from the original on 26 May 2001. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
9. Leine, Yngve Litleskare (13 September 2021). "– Å tenke at noe er «kristen musikk» er helt feil. Det er vi som er kristne. Musikk er musikk | iTro". Itro.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2024-11-25.