Light of Dawn – Annabel
It’s been difficult to get posts out lately, as the motivation just isn’t there. Nonetheless, I was somehow able to generate this review. Bantorra, while not one of the great shows of the season, has as an appealing ED that far outshines its OP (a not terrible ALI PROJECT track). Does the positive initial impression on the TV size carry over to the full version of the song? The quick answer is no. (Now you don’t have to read the full review!)
Track List:
- Light of Dawn
- Torus
Song Review:
Light of Dawn
The song opens with a fade in of synthesizers, which will run throughout the song. I found the background music to be fairly catchy through, especially since it’s fairly upbeat. There are a few layers to the synthesizers, with one consistent beat and several other levels of chimes, bass, and drums that pop in here and there. It’s dynamic and engaging. The techno beat brought the song to my attention, and it remains my favorite part of the song.
Annabel’s vocals compliment the song. There wasn’t much range that I noticed, but she stayed consistent with sweet vocals that were not too sugary. She would also alter the tempo of her singing, sometimes slowing in comparison with the background beat, and sometimes speeding up. Occasionally this would put her a bit out of sync with the music, like during the transition to the chorus. Annbael’s singing doesn’t outshine the song or vice-versa, but the music would sound repetitive without her.
About three minutes into the song is where I feel things went awry. There is a fundamental change in pace and tone here, a sort of interlude that I feel doesn’t fit. The beat becomes more repetitive before ceasing, and Annabel’s vocals diminish until she sounds more like a background choir. This slow-down goes on until about the 4:45 mark, where things thankfully pick back up. Nonetheless, I found this sequence superfluous and working only to drag out the song. I’m fine with changes in pace, but I dislike long interludes that, at least in this case, break up the overall rhythm. (There’s a neat heartbeat effect in the interlude though.)
Torus
A very slow keyboard melody opens this song. This sets the tone for the rest of the song. It’s reminiscent of Akino Arai or Maaya Sakamoto’s ballads, with minimal (or simple) instrumental work and poignant vocals. I would say that Annabel’s singing is the strength of this song. Her voice is soothing to the ear, and fits the laid-back tone well. As soon as we hear the vocals, they take front and center. The rhythm of her singing powers the song, and without it the instrumental track would be sparse.
The aforementioned background music is nominal, a combination of some bass, flutes, drums, and intermittent bells like in the title track. I feel it serves as a compliment to Annabel rather than the other way around as in Light of Dawn.
As noted before also, the pacing is tremendously slow, but the path through this song is one of undulation. There are points where Annabel’s vocals pick up, and it seems the song is ready to break out before falling back into its leisurely pace. Although this is some welcome variation, I’m always a bit irked when my hopes are dashed like that.
I’ve never been fond of these types of slow ballads, and Torus doesn’t do much to change that sentiment. I was not repulsed, yet not enchanted.
Anime ED Review:
Although the simple slideshow of female character portraits wasn’t all that exciting, I did enjoy the TV size of Light of Dawn. I felt that it captured the best portion of the song without dragging it out or making it repetitive. There’s a quick build up before we hear the first verse and chorus. The ending is a bit abrupt, but nothing too glaring. I didn’t find the textured backgrounds or character images appealing, but that may just be my dislike of Bantorra’s art style. I saw some symbolism though, with Hamutz shedding tears of blood and a book appearing like a gateway into someone’s heart. Besides that, things were bland.
Conclusion
While I do not consider Light of Dawn a personal favorite, I still rank it as an above-average song. A catchy synth beat in combination with adequate vocals differentiates the song from other lesser, forgettable themes. I recommend the TV size over the full version, but neither is overwhelmingly superior to the other.
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