Review Summary: Increasing in aggression, melody and diversity brings forth Daylight Dies best record yet.
4 of 13 thought this review was well written
The maturation of one's favorite band is something to witness. The evolution of a bands career comes with highs and lows. Albums which are held in higher regard than others. Band members come and go. Musical styles may change drastically, or not at all. Either way, we all have a band that we hold close to our hearts more so than others, even if only slightly. For a little over 5 years now Daylight Dies, with a relatively small discography and sporadic, selective touring schedule, has been that band to me.
With that being said, I walked into A Frail Becoming with certain expectations. Those expectations were that I would be aurally assaulted by the same guttural/clean vocal and guitar contrast which has been present on previous records. The drumming and bass work complex. The emotional themes focusing on themes of depression, death, sorrow and slight glimmers of hope.
These expectations were met and far and away exceeded.
Improvements have been made in every single department. The song structures are intrinsic, complex and full of a depth that previous songs have not had. Doubtlessly this is due to the band members maturing after being a band for more than a decade. Complex guitar solo's litter the album, double bass which in the past was reserved is in full frontal attack mode. Hauntingly beautiful clean guitar riffs, droning feedback, headbanging off kilter riffs. These are the things one can expect upon the first listen of A Frail Becoming. As one repeats the album several times, the layers are peeled back. New and surprising elements are revealed as the listener is rewarded.
The album starts out at a much faster pace than previous records. This is in itself an interesting development as DD's previous records generally held to the same pace and timing. Here the band utilize double bass, off time drumming and even a few (very few) breakdowns to great success. By the time the listener arrives at "Hold On to Nothing", the pace begins to slow down and the flat out doom metal that the band is known for is in the forefront. Sorrowful lead guitars guide the song into the funeral doom-esque track "An Heir To Emptiness". The plodding pace of this track with the wailing guitars accompanying one of the most depressing vocal performances the band has ever put to record. Simply put, if you enjoy doom or funeral doom metal in the slightest, this record is a very rewarding listen.
Watching the snow fall outside my window right now, the timing of this release could not be more perfect. Perfecting the art of putting compelling emotions of death and decay into music is the forte of Daylight Dies. Relish in the release of one of the best albums to be released this year. A Frail Becoming will not disappoint you.
AtomicWaste Contributing Reviewer October 11th 2012
1632 Comments
No ghost - this is a pretty poorly written review, sorry. You have two paragraphs about personal experience, one about expectations, and one about the sound of the album that's pretty vague. Many grammar issues with apostrophes and small, odd sentences that disrupt flow, as well. That, and I really see no defense for this being a 5, of all ratings.
Take this comment with a grain of salt. I don't mean to offend, but I come across as salty over the net because I am frank.
Atomic, I appreciate you explaining the neg. I disagree obviously with the comment. I am very passionate about the album and the review. Personal experience in this case IS very important to why I rated the album a 5, because guess what, ratings are based upon personal opinion. I explained very well why the album is rated a 5, why it is an improvement and I'm not sure exactly why I should need to go into any further detail about the sound of the album. Keeping in mind I have been on the site for more than 3 years and this is my 26th review.
Good review man! Just a bit too opinionated at the beginning but that's natural. You even have a Daylight Dies avatar so it shows! Album is very good from what I've heard. I don't think it will be a 5 on my collection but it will definitely rule. Bet this is better than Dead End Kings
Thank you Gia, honestly if you go back through my other 25 reviews I stay away from personal stories/experience...this is a band close to my heart which is highly underrated on this site so I included this as a different angle to write the review. Either way, appreciate the comment and hope you enjoy the album m/
could never get into daylight dies,, the best i could defend that is that they seem rough around the edges, but the dismantling devotion instrumental is phenomenal
Thanks buddy, I love Austere haven't heard the other one I will check it out, cheers
AtomicWaste Contributing Reviewer October 11th 2012
1632 Comments
And I've been on the site for 4 years and have 54 reviews. The metrics don't mean shit, sorry. Anyway, since you didn't get it from my last comment, I'll break it down further for you:
Your first and last paragraph amount to "I like this band," which is cool, but there's little other information there other than that. The comment about the snow's alright and for a final paragraph it's passable. Same for the first paragraph, but again, they have no information about the sound of this album.
Your second paragraph states that you expect "gutteral/clean vocal contrast," complex drum and bass work, and dark lyrical themes and you supplement that by saying your expectations were met and exceeded. Neat, we can chalk that up as a win provided you explain more going forward. Simply saying that there's a "gutteral/clean vocal contrast" and "complex" instrumentals doesn't say much about what I'm hearing. Honestly, I've never heard Daylight Dies before. I'm guessing deathcore from what you've said so far, but I don't have much to go on.
Anyway, in your next paragraph I get a little more about the album - headbanging riffs, complex solos, and double bass. So now I'm definitely guessing it's at least metalcore, but again, you don't go beyond the descriptor "complex." You're just telling me "IT'S COOL," but you're not explaining why beyond "I like this band and they've progressed." You even state that there are layers to peel back and find more, but you don't say what's there at either layer. It's not informative and it doesn't help me decide if I'd like this album or not, which is a review's purpose.
I get that you like the band, but if you're writing a review, you need to give me a good reason to like the band, too.
Does anyone else think this guy takes Sputnik way the fuck too seriously?
Not gonna debate on the internet with you here Atomic. Tried to be civil and you obviously can't handle that. You have a superiority complex and should probably turn the computer off.
AtomicWaste Contributing Reviewer October 11th 2012
1632 Comments
Dude, cry about it? I was trying to tell you specifically where the issues were in your review so that you could add a little more and have a good review about a band you clearly care about. But if you want to ignore it, that's your prerogative.
Also, you mean "yours." There's no possessive or contraction on that word ever.
