By Jolee Flatman
Quartet Die Another Day originate from Canada, producing a hybrid style of music, branching from elements of metalcore to pop punk. Being new blood on the scene, with only forming together in Spring of 2019, and having yet only produced singles, such as ‘Broken Youth’ during August, their upcoming record, ‘Wildfires’, has a lot to show for these guys. Threading together melodic and aggressive tones, for fans of A Day To Remember, Avenged Sevenfold and Invisions.
Opening song, ‘Ignite The Flame’, caught me off guard, and in a good way. Having listened to the pre-released single off the EP, it gave me a very rough guideline and expectation of what the overall record sound was going to be. With this opening track being the opposite to that, bringing elements of a futuristic sound with deep electronic beats, mixed with faded background vocals that build up tension, before ending with aggressive vocals “How long till I explode?’ and the track comes to an abrupt end. This particular song would work brilliantly as an interlude in the middle of a set for one of their gigs.
As mentioned above, ‘Wildfire’ has been released prior to the EP drop. The structure in the first verse, which is repeated later in the song, is quite off beat, a ‘messy’ like style – which is hard to get right and make it sound good. As a fan of this style, it pleases me to say that these guys have done an exceptional job at defining this sound. Stitched together with a catchy chorus, and a fast paced, energetic guitar solo to finish the track off. .The only downfall of the track is that the production doesn’t quite cut it.
Following on from this is third track ‘Razorblades’, high in energy yet again, with solid riffs and a mix of vocals, from metalcore-eque heavy vocals, and high pitched cleans. Personally, the cleaner vocals are less of a hit for me, they remind me of a particular ’emo band’ that I used to listen to in my early teenage years, these being ‘Famous Last Words’. The heavier vocals are much more my kind of vibe, being full of anger that brings tension. Combination of vocal styles are very common within the genres that Die Another Day are taking influence from, but the cleaner vocals just seem to lack the level of energy and intensity the rest of the EP brings. The use of a sudden cut on the end of the track adds continuity, which is great, but then removes the level of punch and effect it brings when only used once.
Apart from the single ‘Wildfire’, my top pick from the EP would be ‘Fear The Future’. Opening with gnarly isolated riffs, alongside intense drums for around 30 seconds, before the heavier style vocals kick in. Shortly after this section, the chorus cuts in which is a more melodic, calmer sound. Lacking a level of fading or transition, it doesn’t fit in very well. Having listened to this a few times, the chorus sound reminds me of ‘Africa’ by Toto, which is an odd one to pair with the style of genre this band brings.
‘Wildfires’ will be released on April 10. You can get your copy HERE.
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