Haste The Day

When Everything Falls is this Indianapolis quintet’s sophomore album and kind of like Atreyu and Underoath the record takes on a dual vocal challenge. I didn’t say it sounds like or emulates these bands; it just reminds me of them. While Jimmy Ryan (vox) and Brennan Chaulk (guitars) dual it out; one roars and the other soars with metalcore melodies. The melodies on this record are nothing short of beautiful.

I’ve read my fair share of reviews as are you reading this, but as a fan of music, please keep in mind that if a band really does ‘it’ for the music, you will feel ‘it’ through the music; similarly with this album. Whether Haste The Day decided one day to make a record that sounds like everything else, or an album that challenged themselves, we should take all things into account. While only one guest appears on this CD, it’s From Autumn to Ashes on the track “For a Lifetime,” no one in particular is mentioned.

This is a great album for people who are getting into the metalcore scene or “screamo” scenes; it’s perfectly balanced between yelling and singing. If vocals aren’t your thing however, and you prefer heavy metal riffs, then this is the album for you – it’s aggressive, it’s strong, and it’s probably all in drop D. The vocals clearly overpower the oh so present musical talent the band exudes, but after a few listens it gets better. While recorded in our beloved country of Canada, Haste the Day really took to giving all they’ve got. Although comparisons to Atreyu may shadow the album, Haste the Day take what they’ve got and use it to their advantage to disregard said comments.

Who says Christians can’t rock? The great debate surrounding Christian metalcore bands is a discussion that is found on most message boards. For example, currently being threaded on the Haste the Day official message board are words of a non fan of the band; take a look at this…. “Christian rock is destroying young Christian teens. Screaming your lyrics to God is not very holy. Satan is using these bands for his evil! Please stop this! The word God is never mentioned on the CD. And there is no clear message for salvation.” This debate is far from over, so why not enjoy the music while it lasts? For all we know, this year might be the year of the “pop punkers” or the “soloist” (ala Peter Di Stefano).

Luckily for fans, Haste the Day are taking on America and Canada along side Bleeding Through, Every Time I Die, and Between the Buried and Me, on “The Truth” tour. But be forewarned, as rumours started to surface the net last year that vocalist Jimmy Ryan was leaving the band it indeed turned out to be true and Haste The Day is now fronted by new vocalist Stephen. This is going to a real test for the band, as no one has really reported on what Stephen sounds like. Have Haste the Day found a singer who sings just like Jimmy Ryan, or are they taking the vocals in another direction? Only time will tell; regardless you cannot make the same record twice.

Tooth and Nail always deliver the goods with other such crowd pleasing bands like Underoath, Further Seems Forever, and Anberlin (a personal fav), and I can say I will add Haste the Day for the allure of their vocal melodies.

7.6 Church Pews out of 10.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Fallen
02. The Perfect Night
03. Walk On
04. When Everything Falls
05. If I Could See
06. Walls and Fear
07. For a Lifetime
08. This Time It’s Real
09. Bleed Alone
10. InstruMETAL
11. All I Have
12. Long Way Down

Run Time: 35:52