A review of “We waited for a Subtle Dawn” was written for Legend Magazine’s issue #162.

“Life Toward Twilight is a post-industrial project from Detroit, started in 1999. They’ve appeared at Detroit’s Movement Festival (2004) and Slave Indvstries’ BodyHammer Festival (2000) as well as a few other one shot shows. Five CDs already, We Waited For a Subtle Dawn their latest. The existence of Daniel Tuttle’s previous project, Ogun’s Will, with seven years following in then current incarnation of LTT shows a definite capability with LTTs sound. Daniel’s music is matured, well crafted and certainly not amateurish by any stretch.

Music on We Waited For a Subtle Dawn consists of well played neo-classical movements with touches of dark ambient and interesting arrangements. The subtle hidden voices in “Time”, she says mixed with the watery background makes for a ghostly effect that, while disturbing, I enjoy. Slight additions of ticking, breaking objects and such add a storyline to “Time,” she says that moves the track along an imaginary line of thought before it moves into a more computeresque frame of thought. Nicely done.

The loping low tone sounds of “Time”, she points again is minimal but brilliant, growing slowly as we progress. Tracks like With Pins and Needles are pleasant, but breathe a darker pact towards you. This oozing darkness permeates most of the latter half of We Waited, sometimes with a natural bent and sometimes with a more industrial soundscape. Reluctant Memories of Conquest is one of the latter, a buzzing electronic signature that is only slightly modified by Daniel’s skilled hands.

I love the use of tribal and classical drumming through In a Chalice Shape and the way it will grow into climaxes at various points through the piece, with the orchestration marching across the plains like an approaching army. Years is a disturbing piece, strange calls in the dark from fairies, goblins and wraiths.

The overall result of We Waited For a Subtle Dawn is its skilled subtlety that tends to build and grow around you. Very well done, minimal with talent – Daniel’s quiet manipulations of the otherwise simple pieces show his prowess at letting his music retain a natural feel most of the time with a languid background style. Even the industrial pieces have an “as-is” natural status to them that he only touches with slight movements of sound.