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%

DAYSEND: The Warning

Produced by DW Norton

Released: 2007

Armed with a new singer and attached to a new label, Daysend showed almost immediately with this album that the four year break since their debut had almost no impact on them whatsoever. The Warning takes up virtually where Severance left off, with infectious melodies and riffs thrown up relentlessly throughout an array of well-written songs. If there’s one difference, it’s that none of them are as instantly memorable as “Born is the Enemy” or “Blood of Angels”.

The change of vocalist is barely noticable, as Mark McKernan has a voice virtually indistinguishable from that of former singer Simon Calabrese. This merely results in ensuring that The Warning flows directly on from its predecessor. Indeed, this album is a totally natural progression from the previous one, with a more discernable emphasis on melody. The heavy parts are still very much in evidence also, but the focus on melody means that Daysend has swerved even further toward commercial melodic metalcore. This has always been the band’s intention of course, and Daysend is very good at it. Strangely then, the album opens with one of its weakest tracks. Catchy as it is, “Shoot the Messenger” sounds like it was written with riffs left over from Severance. This isn’t a bad song, but you just know this band is capable of better. It’s a promise which they soon come good on with “Scars Remain” and “Blacker Days”, and “No Regrets” is a killer. Following that is the harmonic instrumental piece “V”, a reworking of a similar track from the Emissions of Reality album by Aaron Bilbija and Wayne Morris’ previous band Deadspawn, then comes the melody-drenched “Winter” with clean-only vocals that makes it the perfect tune for radio airplay.

“Between the Hammer and the Anvil” readdresses the balance then, undoubtedly Daysend’s fastest and heaviest track to date. In fact, the last half of the album is clearly more metal-inspired, with Bilbija’s soloing approaching almost epic proportions in some tracks, notably “The Eyes of the World”. Naturally enough, DW Norton’s production sparkles, although the emphasis on the guitars leaves little room for much bass to come through. That’s hardly a criticism however, because The Warning sounds amazing.

If there was any suspicion that Daysend would have any trouble following up their previous success after such a length gap, a couple of spins of this album should remove any doubt.

1. Shoot the Messenger
2. Scars Remain
3. Blacker Days
4. No Regrets
5. V
6. Winter
7. Between the Hammer and the Anvil
8. This is a Warning
9. Passenger
10. The Eyes of the World
11. The Violence
12. Breathe It In

Rating: 88%