Review Summary: An EP from a band that deserved so much more than they got.
This Day Forward was a band that got lost in the turn of the century metalcore/post-hardcore scene. Despite being unique and having an amazing songwriting ability, they never caught on the way that bands like Poison the Well did around the same time. This Day Forward cannot be left out as a large influence on the current metalcore scene (think more Misery Signals, less Miss May I) as the groundwork they laid is still around in modern bands. When This Day Forward started they were a straightforward metalcore band but as they progressed as a band they pushed more and more towards post-hardcore, and
Kairos sees them in the middle of that transition, and it also shows them at their absolute best.
This EP is five tracks that all touch at brilliance. From the opening seconds of “Kairos” that wouldn’t be out of place on a modern hardcore album to the quiet opening to Isomorphism, this album dips its toes in many different pools, yet never once feels disjointed. Each track is full of abrasive thick guitars and pained screams, but there are also points where the occasional singing or clean guitars poke through, creating a welcome change of pace. This EP is so much more than the sum of its parts however. They way that everything comes together sets it on the same level as Poison The Well’s classic
Opposite Of December if not higher. They way that it comes together exudes a certain beauty from a band that was ahead of their time. “Sunfalls and Watershine,” for example, has a middle section that is pure serenity (it helps that Geoff Rickley sings on the track) before the ending adds thick guitars on top of it at the end, creating a wonderful crescendo.
This Day Forward will never get the credit they deserve for what they created in their short time, and they won’t be coming back together anytime soon. One of their guitarists and their drummer went on to form Circa Survive with Anthony Green, where they both still reside. As great as it would be to see the band come back together someday, I highly doubt they will ever reach the level of quality contained
Kairos again. Most bands never reach this level, so that is okay.
