Finnish melodic death metal band Before The Dawn have released the music video for “Fatal Design,” the second single from their ninth studio album, Cold Flare Eternal, set to drop on September 5, 2025, via Reaper Entertainment. The video premiered yesterday, May 14, 2025, on YouTube, with the track available on all major streaming platforms starting today, May 16.
Led by Tuomas Saukkonen (guitar, also of Wolfheart and Dawn Of Solace), Before The Dawn—featuring Paavo Laapotti (vocals), Juho Räihä (guitar), and Pyry Hanski (bass)—continues their resurgence after 2023’s acclaimed Stormbringers. Recorded at Räihä’s studio in Ulvila, Finland, Cold Flare Eternal blends crushing heaviness, soaring melodies, and the atmospheric depth of Nordic landscapes, with mixing by Jens Bogren and mastering by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios. The album’s artwork, crafted by Gogo Melone (known for Wolfheart, Insomnium), enhances its dark, resonant tone.
Tracklist:
- Initium
- Fatal Design
- As Above, So Below
- Mercury Blood
- Stellar Effect
- Flame Eternal
- Stronghold
- Destination
- Shock Wave
- Ad Infinitum
“Fatal Design,” a 4:58 track, dives into the album’s core theme: the struggle between light and shadow, reflecting on the cost of personal choices. Saukkonen calls it “catchy, heavy like a ten-ton hammer, and pushes forward like a freight train,” making it a perfect fit for their upcoming EU tour setlist. The video, an intense and atmospheric visual, complements the song’s balance of melody and brutality, appealing to fans of In Flames or Dark Tranquillity. The first single, “As Above, So Below,” released on April 14, has already garnered over 150,000 streams, setting high expectations for the album.
Cold Flare Eternal will be available on CD, LP, and digital formats, with pre-orders live at lnk.to/FatalDesign. The band will support Wolfheart on a European tour this fall, hitting cities like Madrid, Paris, and Prague from September 20 to October 13—tickets are available at btdmetal.com. Before that, they’re currently on tour with Swallow The Sun, with a stop tonight in Amsterdam at Melkweg Max. Dive into “Fatal Design” now and get ready for a masterful melodeath journey this September!