The Gothenburg Project 10.09.08: Daysend Posted by Matt Shoemaker on 10.09.2008
What's this? A melodic death metal band from Australia? You know you want to check this out.
Welcome back, fellow metalheads! I've been having a shitty week, so doing this is a great reprieve for me. School's been pretty harsh lately, as midterms are coming up in a couple of weeks, so prepping for that is starting.
This week, I'm taking a look at a band I've been hooked on for the past couple of weeks, the Australian metalcore/melodic death metal band Daysend (pronounced Days-end).
The Band
Current Members
Vocals: Mark McKernan (2006-present)
Guitar: Aaron Bilbija (2002-present)
Guitar: Jason Turnbull (2007-present)
Bass: Meredith Webster (2002-present)
Drums: Wayne Morris (2002-present)
Former Members
Simon Calabrese (Vocals, 2003-2006)
Dave Micallef (Vocals, 2002)
Andrew Lilly (Guitar, 2005)
Matt Lamb (Drums, 2002)
Michael Kordek (2002-2005, 2005-2007)
Daysend was formed in 2002 by Bilbija, Webster, and Lamb, who had played together in a thrash band called Psi.Kore. Shortly after Daysend formed, Matt Lamb left the band, and was replaced with Wayne Morris. Right before their debut show, then vocalist Dave Micallef quit the band, so Daysend performed their set as an instrumental band, before pursing a new singer. The band, with no recorded material and no singer, was then slated to open for big name Austrian extreme metal band Pungent Stench, but the festival they were to play on, Metal on the Brain was cancelled.
The band then recruited Simon Calabrese, and almost immediately began touring with The Haunted. The band the spent a mere ten days in the recording studio, recording their debut album, Severance
Album Info
Recorded: No studio information given, recorded in August, 2003 Release Dates: Australia: November 3, 2003 (Chatterbox Records) Europe & US: November 2004 (Metal Blade (US) & Locomotive Records (EU)) Produced by: Nik Tropiano & DW Norton
Track Listing
1. "Born is the Enemy" − 5:21
2. "Ignorance of Bliss" − 4:29
3. "Blood of Angels" − 3:54
4. "Countdown" − 5:20
5. "Prism of You" − 3:40
6. "End of Days" − 4:09
7. "Severance Day" − 3:41
8. "Sellout" − 4:33
9. "September" − 4:09
10. "Beggars With Knives" − 3:04
11. "Sibling" − 7:00
Having listened to the band's second album, The Warning first, listening to a different singer is very odd. The vocals, and the rest of the album, for the most part, are very entrenched in the metalcore sound. There are a lot of traditional, almost stereotypical metalcore riffs, as well as the vocal style. Calabrese is really just not a good vocalist. Maybe that's why they got rid of him.
Musically, like I said, this is a pretty standard album that can be summed up in four parts. Part one: Standard metalcore moshing riff, along with fast drums. Part two: Take same riff, slow down the drums. Part three: Catchy chorus that complements clean vocals. Part four: Repeat. By the halfway point of this album, it's really a chore to listen to. Calabrese tries to mix things up rapcore in "Sellout", and just winds up sounding like an idiot.
It's sad that the album opens up with such a good track, "Born is the Enemy", because everything just kind of fizzles out afterwards.
Video for "Born is the Enemy"
AMV featuring "Blood of Angels"
The band followed up the album with lots of touring, including a six week tour with Otep in 2005. The band also split with guitarist Andrew Lilly, who was replaced with Kordek, who Lilly had initially replaced. The band then began work on their second album, but progress came to a halt when Calabrese left the band in 2006. Mark McKernan then joined the band, after playing in Headcage. Despite only playing two shows with McKernan, the band then began to record their second album, The Warning.
Album Info
Recorded: Backbeach Studios in Rye, Victoria, Australia Release Dates: May 28, 2007 (Faultline Records) Produced By: DW Norton
Track Listing
1. "Shoot the Messenger" − 4:37
2. "Scars Remain" − 5:10
3. "Blacker Days" − 5:17
4. "No Regrets" − 5:05
5. "V" − 1:59
6. "Winter" − 4:05
7. "Between the Hammer and the Anvil" − 4:14
8. "This is a Warning" − 6:13
9. "Passenger" − 3:10
10. "The Eyes of the World" − 5:02
11. "The Violence" − 4:37
12. "Breathe it In" − 5:03
This album is a HUGE step up from Severance. McKernan's presence is a huge boost for the band, as his vocals, both harsh and clean, are leaps and bounds better than Calabrese's. The band also evolved a lot musically between Severance and this album, focusing on a more traditional melodic death metal sound.
The band maintains a solid balance between melodic death metal and metalcore sounds, never really moving too far in either direction. Like I said, the band keeps their sound in a traditional melodic death metal tone, even when they venture into the realm of metalcore.
"Shoot the Messenger" is a fantastic opener, with one of the coolest guitar riffs I've heard in a while. The album then progresses into a fantastic mix of aggression and melody that makes for a damn fine listen.
Video for "No Regrets"
Live video of "Winter" (poor quality)
The band has been touring since the release of The Warning, and has secured a spot as the opening band on the Australian leg of Carcass' tour. This will be their last set of shows before they head back into the studio to work on their new album.
So that's all for this week, sadly. School work's been hell this week, so I'm trying to bring my grades up a bit before midterms. I focused on Daysend this week because I thought it would be a good idea to showcase a melodic death metal band outside of the Sweden region. I hope you enjoyed it.
And on a small side note, for anyone who's seen Tropic Thunder, and knows the marketed the Booty Sweat energy drink, it's pretty damn good for being a drink called Booty Seat. I was pretty surprised. I definitely recommend it to anyone willing to give it a try.
Next week, I'll be taking a look at a melodic death metal band that was, sadly, put to rest, The Duskall. Till then, take care.
