A Day To Remember - What Separates Me From You
posted on Sunday, 12 December 2010 @ 07:52 | permalink
A Day to Remember have come a long way since covering Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone, and the Ocala quintet are back with their fourth studio album and follow-up to 2009's Homesick. Opening with the gut-punch first riffs of Sticks and Bricks, you'd be forgiven for thinking A Day to Remember have leant more towards the heavier, more brutal side of their sound, but the album offers their traditional mixing of styles that have been demonstrated throughout their musical career, right from their first studio album, 2005's For Those Who Have Heart. Combining angsty yet often hopeful lyrics with upbeat, rousing guitar riffs, vocalist Jeremy McKinnon effortlessly hops from guttural growling and melodic screaming breakdown to catchy chorus. All Signs Point to Lauderdale is catchier than flu as it bounces along, with tongue in cheek lyrics 'I hate this town, its so washed up, and all my friends don't give a fuck', a chorus just made to spend hours bothering your brain in the best possible way. As with previous albums, there's a softer side too. Tracks such as single All I Want and the stunning This Is The House That Doubt Built feature completely clean vocals, where the emotional tone in McKinnon's voice really shines. Their trademark gang vocals pop up - It's Complicated and album closer If I Leave will undoubtably create an electric atmopshere live, where the fans are often as loud as the band themselves. A Day to Remember may well have been pegged by critics as a 'scene band' - part of the passing trend of screamo hipsters, but their latest offering proves they showcase a sound different to many of their middle-of-the road peers. A perfect amalgomation of pop-punk excitement and elements of metalcore brutality, if you enjoy this album, make sure you catch the band on their UK tour in January for what will be an absolutely phenomenal show. 9/10 Labels: A Day To Remember, album, review A Day To Remember - Pyramids Centre 15/3/10
posted on Tuesday, 30 March 2010 @ 09:01 | permalink
A Day To Remember Support: Architects, Your Demise Portsmouth Pyramids Centre 15/3/10 Entering the venue, I breathe a sigh of relief that, as with the seeming trend of gigs these days, my 5ft 1 self actually has a hope in hell of seeing, thanks to a large portion of the audience being barely in their teens, and therefore pre-growth spurt. Ignoring the monstrosity that is a ‘Mrs Oli Sykes’ t-shirt, I make my way to catch Your Demise open with a bang to an excited crowd – although it’s clear to see they’re mainly here for the headline act. Architects gave a strong performance, however seemed muted at points despite vocalist Sam Carter’s efforts to get the crowd going, who were seemingly less responsive, excepting a small portion of loyal fans. A shame that a large portion of the crowd probably only knew them due to Carter’s vocals on Bring Me The Horizon track The Sadness Will Never End, as they currently lead the way in the growing British hardcore scene. The last time the Pompey crowds saw A Day To Remember, they went down a storm supporting Bring Me The Horizon (yep, them again...) hit the stage to rapturous cheers and applause, hitting hard with ‘Fast Forward to 2012’, an unexpected yet appreciated opening song. The Ocala boys had clearly aimed their set at fans who had been there from the beginning, playing tracks from earlier released ‘And Their Name Was Treason’ and ‘For Those Who Have Heart’- although it was standout tracks from latest album ‘Homesick’, such as singalong-friendly ‘The Downfall of Us All’. Despite these recieving an eager reception, the excitement of die-hard fans to hear old favourites was clear, and the crowd as a wholewere generally consistent, with just a few lulls when rarer or slower tracks were played. Things were slowed down a little with the frankly stunning cover of The Fray’s Over My Head, and Have Faith In Me - the only downer was the band’s slightly sexist claim that they ‘had’ to play the soft songs ‘for the ladies’. A notable omission was the removal of previous 'set staple' Kelly Clarkson cover, 'Since You Been Gone', showing the band moving onwards and upwards, and being known for their own original work. After ending on arguably their best known track ‘The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle’, and the young’uns poured out to waiting parents, it’s easy to see that A Day To Remember are a band that aim to please their fans - and succeed. This review can be seen in Pugwash News Image credit (for illustration purposes only!) Labels: A Day To Remember, live, review |