DAYSEND: Within the Eye of Chaos

Released: Yesterday

After almost three years, Daysend has at last unleashed album number three. Both of the previous albums still get high rotation around the Sound Cellar so I was looking forward to Within the Eye of Chaos with particular interest. A few listens later and I have to admit that I'm not as excited about it as I was for The Warning nor for Severance, which remains one of my favourite Australian metal releases.

Yesterday I reviewed Tirades by labelmates Dyscord, and noted that with each subsequent release they strive to get heavier and further away from their early commercial pretensions. Daysend appear set to do the exact opposite. Within the Eye of Chaos is the most accessible album they've issued so far, the closest they have come yet to the ultimate model of popular melodic metalcore. It is perhaps the album this band has always aimed to make, the starkest combination yet of their distinctly metal background influences and clearly marketable aspirations.

Stripped down to a four piece, the guitar sound does seem slightly sparser but the band is no less heavy and Aaron Bilbija's astonishing gift for catchy riffs remains as potent as ever. While they still haven't managed to quite top "Born is the Enemy" in terms of memorability, "See You in My Nightmares" is the perfect album opener with a hook that's hard to shake. It's likely this one is already a crowd favourite. Daysend's penchant for vicious riffs is clearly evident, and Mark McKernan's clean vocal style is further developed. This makes the band's insidious melodies even more prominent but as the album goes on, it also drags them towards the generic style of so many other groups; indeed, after a few choruses I had to check I wasn't listening to All That Remains by mistake.

Tracks like the ferocious "Mindless" show Daysend hasn't shed their more metallic aspects just yet, but then the very next song "The Coldest of Disasters" opens immediately on clean melodic vocal lines that shows a distinctly different and more obvious personality. Somewhat more expansive cuts like "Simple Minds" hearken back to the style of The Warning, but it's clear that on Within the Eye of Chaos Daysend has set their sights on a much wider audience. All said, this is another very good album from Daysend, but one that clearly delineates the departure point from one dominant style to another far more accessible one. This may not be to the liking of fans who've been with them from the beginning, but it's possible Within the Eye of Chaos will net Daysend their biggest audience yet.

1. See You in My Nightmares
2. Mindless
3. The Coldest of Disasters
4. Questions
5. Simple Minds
6. Without Tears
7. In This Moment
8. Acid Laced Fiasco
9. Down This Hole
10. Edge of the Line
11. Recoil

Rating: 72%