Review Summary: Catchy and heavy rock with some metal twists.
Who knows what sets apart Dark New Day from all the other "alternative" or radio rock bands (or whatever you want to call them) for me but there's something there that's appealing. Dark New Day consists of a bunch of dudes with their share of experience in the hard rock scene so you can count on them to know what they're doing.
Opener "Taking Me Alive" starts off with a minute of silence mixing some swirly wind effects and quiet piano chords before kicking off into one of the best tracks on the album. Hestla, while a very proficient vocalist, often ends up sounding whiny when singing but is top-notch when putting out his aggressive scream. Neither Troy McLawhorn nor Clint Lowery shred along the likes of Malmsteen or Petrucci but still, they've got some chops. The solos fit the song well and lead it back to where it left off. The only problem here is they never go back to anything this heavy for the rest of the album. Hit single "Brother" sums up the Dark New Day sound. Building from the offbeat main riff, the verse quiets down before the song builds explodes into their trademark heavy rhythms. So far, Twelve Year Silence destroys.
"Free", a decent enough track with some cool effects going on with the guitars, doesn't have enough to save it from the fact that it's pretty bland. While Dark New Day blend melody and heaviness perfectly, they're limited by their lack of creativity. However, the melodic and midtempo tracks on the album deliver stick in-your-head hooks while pounding out some major damage from the brickhouse rhythm section. Will Hunt's skillful stickwork proves he is a stellar as hell and a phenomenally consistent drummer.
Most of "Fill Me Again", "Lean", and "Heal in Time" feel like filler tracks, and suffer from the basic formula of radio rock songs. Despite that, what's great about these guys is that every member sings, so we're left with some very full harmonies. The band manage to balance out the inconsistencies with tracks like "Bare Bones", "That's Enough" and "Evergreen". "Pieces" even throws in a heavy breakdown midway through the song. To conclude, the band drop their electrics for some acoustic picking and strumming. "Follow the Sun Down" relies on acoustic guitars but doesn't really use that fact to produce anything exceptional. The melody is catchy and they have some cool riffs going on sure, but it just feels simply like an acoustic version of any one of their other songs. At least the multiple harmonies give it a fun listen.
Twelve Year Silence delivers what you'd expect from a major label rock band: crisp production (maybe too clean), catchy melodies and a fun listen. Don't look for groundbreaking music here but a straightforward rock 'n roll record.
