Daylight Dies A Frail Becoming
By: Chris Davison
Blimey, has it really been four years since the release of the excellent Lost To The Living? That really was an excellent album, and I had begun to wonder what had happened Daylight Dies, based in Carolina, but sounding much more like they should originate from the murky depths of Northern England. I shouldn't have worried; it seems that the band was working on this album during their hiatus. With their previous record being one of the highlights of 2008, can this follow up possibly live up to those lofty standards?
The answer is most definitely “yes”. This
is a different beast, however, being a much more muscular and aggressive beast
than its forebear. I'm not quite sure what's being going on in the lives of Daylight
Dies, but A Frail Becoming has quite
a bit more “oomph.” The introspection, calm reflection, and atmosphere are
still here for the listener to enjoy. The moodier, doomier elements of the
music remain, but are now joined by even more powerful, emphatic riffs and drum
work. “Dreaming Of Breathing,” for example, features riffs that makes fists
involuntarily clench, and more dissonance than on most Voivod albums. “Infidel”
has a combative spirit that invokes conflict and strife with some quirky,
angular riffs and nimble bass work.
The good news is that the baby hasn't been
cast out with the bath water. The band has managed to retain the magic of
Daylight Dies – the downcast atmosphere, the sophisticated musical palate –
while expanding and refining on the winning formula. That trademark touch of
the miserable, the unpleasant runs through the record like blood through veins.
The minor key riffing and the sinister melodies combine to furious effect. All
in all, none of the former magic is lost, and Daylight Dies have gone on to
assert their place in the upper echelons of melancholic metal.
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