Five Star: A look at albums
that are so good that they impress even the most cynical of critics. Very
few albums are superior enough to obtain a five star rating but occasionally
a band slips through the river of mediocrity that is the modern music industry
and they produce an album that restores our faith in the future of rock!
This series is a look at such albums.
I'm such a fan of originality in music
that I'm not easily impressed. Given that, I never thought I'd hear any
5 star worthy bands. Daysend is an Aussie import that has come out of the
chute screaming, so to speak, with a stunning debut album that raises the
bar on the the metal scene.
Severance will have you wondering
how a band that is a little over one year old could release such a solid,
musically excellent album. Clearly this isn't the norm. New bands are supposed
to fumble around for a least an album or two before they discover how to
play their instruments better, how to write catchy songs, and other helpful
skills that will carry them through their time of employment in the metal-
worker industry. Figuring out how to embed your band in the volatile psyches
of metalheads is a task many fail miserably at, sometimes even after an
entire career. Not many groups achieve this on their very first album,
placing Daysend in fairly exclusive company.
Daysend demonstrates on this album, which
originally sold out within weeks, that they possess skills, originality,
and a comfort with each other & the material that some, more experienced
bands, lack. All of the members have lengthy resumes with other Aussie
bands like Deadspawn, Psi-Kore & Automation which may account for the
mature sound they encapsulate on Severance. If some mad musical
scientist in a lab could isolate & combine the very best elements of
every modern metal & thrash band that was truly great, from the time
when they were at their peak, in such a way that the end product didn't
end up sounding like a ridiculous, cover band-esque, unoriginal, mish mashy
rip off of competing & clashing sounds, that's kind of what you'd have
in Daysend. This is a CD that gets better every time it's listened to.
The ride you're in for musically on this
CD is so hard to describe. Reviews of CD's that are impossibly great will
always be but a pale attempt to unsuccessfully convey their sound. Since
you can't possibly know how incredible this album is unless you hear them,
a trip to their website to purchase a copy of this CD is advisable. The
vocals are clean, without sacrificing intensity. The guitars are fast &
heavy, never missing a note, always busily laying down the perfect background
for every song, with interesting solos & leads & original sounding
fills. The drummer & bassist handle their roles admirably, finding
the perfect compromise between overbearingly over the top & too nonexistent
to be noticed. There is nothing to criticize musically or lyrically in
this CD, ho hum, what a boring review, fortunately the CD is anything but.
The juxtaposition of the high pitched guitar
and the growling so low vocals on "Prism of You" makes quite an intriguing
sound different than what's currently available on the metal front. "Sibling"
is a heavy, hauntingly eerie roller coaster of a tune full of musical twists
& turns that keeps you hanging on tight. The first track, "Born is
the Enemy", experiments around with weird vocal effects, showing off in
the process an impressive vocal range embracing true singing ability as
well as the ubiquitous power screaming that bands of this genre have to
include in their repertoire, again without sacrificing clarity. If this
were radio friendly filler, "Countdown" and "The Blood of Angels" might
be the smash hit singles. I could rhapsodize on & on about every song
on this album, an impossible task would be selecting one track out of the
11 to have as a favorite, all the songs are so strong. I'd be impressed
with this release even if the band was much older & had many albums
released in their past. The fact that they managed to pull this off their
very first time makes it worth 5 stars in my mind.
More Info
Daysend
- Severance
Rating: Track Listing:
1. Born Is The Enemy 2. Ignorance Of Bliss 3. Blood Of Angels 4. Countdown 5. Prism Of You 6. End Of Days 7. Severance Day 8. Sellout 9. September 10. Beggars With Knives 11. Sibling
Posted by metalscarlettheart:
I was put in trance when i heard Countdown.Well written lyrics,perfect drums and great guitar.DAYSEND KICKS ASS!! love you Chris xxx
Posted by mass;meatal;maniac!:
nay, you really need to broaden your metal horizon they are good but not the best try something like slipknot,mudvayne, emulsion, kill switch engage,dillenger escape plan and the like
Posted by Catt:
DAYSEND have been one of the best bands i have heard this year. born is the enemy is the best song!!
Posted by Justin.R:
DAYSEND ROCK!!!
Posted by NAY:
Daysend is the greatest metal band in the world
Posted by joannie:
Find a mom & pop retailer that will order it for you & not charge you for shipping, the huge mega chains generally aren't as service oriented as the teeny ones.
Posted by feet:
still trying to find this albulm w/o ordering on line its hard in the us.
