Description

(This review originally posted on the artist's official forum shortly after release, reposted here following minor edits.)

I got my copy yesterday, and have listened to it 4 or 5 times. I must confess that initially I preferred the previous album No Reply, but after more listenings this is growing on me, in the way that many of my favourite albums have.

We've heard all the Katatonia and Opeth comparisons, and I definitely hear many of the former and some of the latter. But I also spot hints of Draconian or My Dying Bride in Solitary Confinement, or Silent Enigma-period Anathema and Icon-eramore… Paradise Lost in A Life Less Lived. There are even slight similarities to earlier Lacuna Coil here and there, with clean vocals or guitar melodies over simple yet syncopated rhythms. Despite the comparisons though, it sounds unmistakably like Daylight Dies, with just as many links to previous work as to other artists. The ending of A Life Less Lived harks back to the harmonies on one of the tracks on the Idle EP, for instance. And of course all the trademarked smooth key changes and tempo changes we've come to expect are out in force.

On a production level, this is simply excellent. Egan's bass comes through powerfully and clearly, showing the basslines that are more interesting than is common for this style of music. Jesse's drum sound has undergone a marked improvement also. After hearing the Lies That Bind demo I was a little concerned that the rhythm guitars might lose their previous crisp edge but those fears were dispelled when I got the final version. The leads cut through beautifully, and Nathan's vocals are close enough to those of old vocalist Guthrie to leave no room for disappointment while being different enough to carry a unique character. And the only problem with Egan's clean vocals is that there aren't enough of them.

Are there any negatives to be found then? Possibly there aren't as many memorable lead solos on this album, nor is there seemingly an equivalent to Unending Waves, which on the last album was a great compromise between being a catchy and accessible song but lacking none of the Daylight Dies complexity. Here, A Dream Resigned probably comes closest in this regard. Still, these are truly small gripes among the weight of quality on display here, though. No fan of melodic metal music should be without this album.

Tracks

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Info:

Category:

Music > Albums

Case Type:

CD

Release Type:

Retail

Comments:

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Cover Info:

Title:

Daylight Dies - Dismantling Devotion (2006) Retail CD

Part:

Inside

Dimensions:

1407 x 1413 px

Size:

1,085 KB

Downloads:

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Uploaded:

Report a Problem Wrong Cover Duplicate Image Bad Quality Wrong Info

16/01/10 by heebee

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