Review Summary: The potential for this group of young Australians is huge and hopefully they will keep the wheels of Black Mayday turning into something much bigger...
The beginning processes for any young band to record their first material used to be hard work. But nowadays in the modern era anyone who has enough skill, determination and a computer readily available, has the ability to take their future into their own hands. This is exactly what little known Melbourne metal heads Black Mayday has done with their first release ‘The Galaxy’. Recorded and produced lead singer/guitarist Edward Mountain Black Mayday have completed this first crucial step in any bands path and are offering the whole EP for a free download from their bandcamp page. In a move to simply turn heads in their direction, I couldn’t help but be intrigued with what these young men had to offer and after a few spins through ‘The Galaxy’ it becomes apparent that these guys might just be onto something...
‘The Galaxy’ opens up with a lengthy guitar build up that falls somewhere between meaty and daunting. Lead from the front with this guitar riff the other instruments build up around it and quickly the listener is greeted with lead singer Edward Mountain’s haunting echoing vocals. The strung out vocals and use of overlays at times hint to an Alice In Chains vibe infused metal concoction. The catchy vocal hook found with the lyrics “I don’t want your perspective...” helps the song resonate with the listener for hours after initially hearing it, begging you to come back for round two. The vocals build up and fade out into a huge hypotonic guitar solo, which swirls around your ears, igniting some vivid imagery of the universe itself in your head, truly sounding out of this world. The next track ‘Freelance’ begins with chaotic and aggressive guitar work that sounds rather old-school. Melodic distorted guitar leads into some distant dreamy vocal overlays, which again tie in with a mind bending guitar solo with the drumming setting a huge raging bull background pace as the foundations for the track. After a number of exciting moments by drummer Nick Goldsmith, the song builds down to a fitting slower paced melodic close.
With already tasting what Black Mayday have offered up on the first couple tracks you think you might know what’s coming next on ‘Unearthed’ but guess again. ‘Unearthed’ starts off slowly with melodic guitar picking and a slow meandering guitar riff which almost feels like an interlude and not the beginning of a song, because immediately afterwards the track erupts into a completely different sound. Although still maintaining an edge somewhere between classic metal and Alice In Chains, I sometimes get the feeling ‘Unearthed’ shows a harder modern rock feel by the likes of Stone Sour. This track has potential to be the best track on ‘The Galaxy’; however the muddled chorus chants hold it back. However these background chants aren’t a complete failure and work perfectly on the following track ‘Light Of The Shaman’. ‘Light Of The Shaman’ and ‘Mechanism’ are the final two tracks off the EP and feature more chunky riff-age and guitar solos to poke a stick at. ‘Mechanism’ however is a great closer and shows off some possible future direction for the band. The last minute of the track showcases a number of technical, yet playful ideas which may open up new doors for the band to continue to explore at some point.
What Black Mayday has achieved with their first effort as an unsigned upcoming band is quite promising. Interesting vocal plays, powerful guitars and excellent drumming combine for a completely fresh take on metal. Of course these guys still have a lot to learn and hard work in front of them to continue this journey. There is no doubt that a glaring obstacle holding back ‘The Galaxy’ is the production values and if these guys had the financial backing to record something else i have no doubt it would be ten times better. The potential for this group of young Australians is huge and hopefully they will keep the wheels of Black Mayday turning into something much bigger.
