Dawn Vally Mark Their Rebirth With Near Death Experience & “Kneecapper” Lyric Video
Recently coming off a crushing performance at Loud As Hell Open Air Festival in Drumheller, AB, where they tore through the stage alongside Fallujah, Crimson Shadows, Divinity, and more, Toronto’s Dawn Vally has dropped a ferocious new lyric video for “Kneecapper”, in support of the band’s brand‑new and third EP Near Death Experience, released July 31st, 2026, a milestone marking the rebirth of one of Canada’s most relentless metalcore acts.
Formed in 2007 by brothers Jeff and Joe Bartolo, Dawn Vally has spent nearly two decades forging a sound that’s raw, ferocious, intense, heavy, and brutal. What began as a DIY project burning CDs in their early days has evolved into a fully realized force, now rounded out by guitarist Antonio and new vocalist Zac Emmons, formerly of Pound Of Flesh.
“Kneecapper” is a blistering statement of betrayal, an explosive track aimed at a once‑trusted friend whose indecision and backstabbing cost everything. Musically, it’s one of Dawn Vally’s most punishing offerings to date, with high‑octane riffs, savage breakdowns, and Zac’s emotionally charged vocal delivery.
The lyric video amplifies the intensity, pairing the band’s signature brutality with stark, confrontational visuals that mirror the song’s themes of anger, loss, and retaliation.
The EP’s title reflects the band’s turbulent years from 2022–2024, an era of internal turmoil that nearly ended Dawn Vally entirely. Instead, the band emerged stronger, channeling the chaos into a record that blends every era of their sound, from the early “Just Please Her” EP’s hard‑rock roots to the ferocious metalcore/hardcore hybrid they’re known for today.
Lyrically, Near Death Experience is drenched in betrayal, emotional pain, and the psychological fallout of broken trust. Musically, it’s a full‑throttle assault, high‑octane intensity from start to finish.
“This EP is to signify that it was only a near-death experience and not a full-on death of the band,” adds vocalist Zac Emmons.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Zac Emmons and I am the vocalist of Dawn Vally.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
Near Death Experience is a lot about betrayal and being done wrong by people close to you. The title comes from a reference to the band between 2022-2024 before I joined that had internal turmoil almost ending the band completely, leading to me joining end of 2024
Walk us through your creative process when creating music.
Jeff (Bass) and our producer work on most of the instrumentals together and when they’re done they send them to me and I will sit with them, feel out what sort of vocal pattern I want to do and write my lyrics to fit the pattern, staying on topic for whatever I am writing about. Once I am done Antonio (Guitar) will write all his leads
Now that the music is out, what does the ‘road ahead’ look like? Beyond tours and videos, what’s one ‘bucket list’ goal you hope to achieve with this release?
A lot of festivals, a lot of shows, and right back to writing for the follow up which we have already began! We are also planning a Canada wide tour for next summer as well with some homies we made out west this year
Every artist has a ‘lightbulb moment’ where things just clicked. Looking back, what’s the one performance or milestone that made you realize, ‘Okay, this is what I was meant to do’?
For me it was when we played with Brokencyde in Toronto last year, and it just clicked immediately for all of us and showed us this was the best version of Dawn Vally
We love championing Canadian talent. If you were curating a ‘Must-Listen’ playlist of emerging artists right now, who is the first person you’d add?
Oh there’s a lot! Arrow In the Quiver, Our Last Crusade, All Was Lost and of course Crimson Asphalt are the big ones for us!
There’s nothing like the energy of a live room. Where can fans catch you on stage next, and for someone seeing you for the first time, what should they expect from a Dawn Vally live experience?
Oh you can expect high energy, lots of two stepping, circle pits, wall of death, and a live experience that you wont forget