In Vain is a straight-up metal band whose sound mostly recalls the NWOBHM era, with a big dose of melodic American thrash thrown into the mix. Each of the six tracks on this album has a catchy, driving melody at its center, as well as consistent levels of speed and energy. Adequately played and produced, Dawn Of Misery is a good showcase for In Vain’s melodic speed metal, and despite being largely generic, I found these songs to be quite enjoyable.

Songwriting is pretty consistent throughout Dawn Of Misery, as In Vain don’t stray too far from the verse-chorus-solo formula from song to song. Rather than coming across as repetitive, it’s somewhat refreshing to hear the band sticking to their strengths. “Wild Pirates” has a Maiden-esque feel to its chorus and strong lead work, while “Insanity” has a gallop of a riff and a sing-along chorus that is genuinely fun. Pick of the bunch though would have to be “Jerusalem”, featuring a groovy, windmill-worthy opening riff and a rousing power metal climax, with keyboards to boot. The vocalist is the standout element of In Vain, being spot-on with his high notes and showing impressive range. Worthy of mention too is the solos, which are frequent and strong.

Dawn Of Misery is unlikely to have a major impact on the power metal scene, considering the wealth of quality bands that have cemented themselves in recent years. However, given a stronger production, In Vain could give themselves a decent shot at the big leagues, as everything else on this release is competent and at times rather good. If you love your classic/traditional metal bands and are keen to seek out new blood, the melodic sensibilities, hooky songwriting and speed/thrash leanings on Dawn Of Misery are worthy of at least a listen.