DAY WITHOUT DAWN

Normally when a singer is lacking in a band you just have to tune the singer out and decide whether the music is strong enough instrumentally to work anyway. A lot of times this formula works and I have myself found that I can see beyond mediocre or even bad singers when the music in itself has been good enough. I tried this with Day Without Dawn-- my God, did I try it. Each listen I would at first get lured in by the beautiful chord phrasing and great melodies-- and then that shrill voice comes into the sound picture and it's like brain freeze for me. It's not so much a matter of me not preferring the way he sings, but a matter of him being constantly off key. His voice slides wildly between notes, almost constantly under or over shooting his mark. It's like they recorded the album and then transposed everything a half note down but kept the vocals as they were.

I realize that no person could really miss the fact how incredibly off the vocals are on this project, and considering the reviews, some even love it. This is an artistic choice by the band and by the singer, so there are no excuses. This is hands down the most horrible thing I've encountered in the world of singing.

This has been more of a long rant than a review, but hopefully some of you will consider this a warning. If you are sensitive about false notes in music, like I am, this will literary be like torture for your ears.

Oh yeah, the instrumental parts are brilliant and had this been recorded without the dreadful singing(I think this goes for the screaming as well, but it's almost great in comparison) it would probably be one of the greatest metal albums I've heard. All the more reason why I loathe it so passionately.

A fantastic record totally thrashed by insufferable whining and off key vocals.

2/5

I tend to agree with previous review here on most points, but the material itself is less interesting than the one represented on brilliant 'Understanding Consequences' LP. 'The Plea' and 'The Acquittal' are probably the best songs (at least they have some interesting and captivating moments). DAY WITHOUT DAWN's unique mixture of Math-Rock, Post-Metal and Modern Prog sounds rather bleak and unsure on this record. For collectors only, others MUST get the full-length album first!

The album's intro track: The Fall has a very math rock sound with very melodic vocals that don't quite sound at their best but their ok and manages to keep the music going pretty well. Inquisition on the other hand has a very explosive intro with a sort of melancholic atmosphere. In this song you can listen to growls that sound terrible, due to the lack of quality in the album, but the clean vocals sound good. I would have say that this is the best track of the album and in fact it is the longest song of this EP lasting only 5 minutes. The next song The Plea has a sort of a happy hasty type of melody in it. On the other hand In The Holding Cell is sort of an experimental edge to it, and the sound is sort of a mix between of post rock with math rock. As for the last song: The Acquittal sounds ok to close the album and the melody and rhythm are good in a way, but it's repeated for the entire 3 in a half minutes.

In overall this EP is good, and the music is original and sounds ok. Day Without Dawn managed to create a more original and vibrant sound than The Postman Syndrome, at least in my opinion, but if you're not a fan of low quality albums (though the quality isn't that low IMO) then stay away from this one but if you like something new and totally different you're going to love it.

A 3.5 for me!

Some albums find us (instead of more common case when we're searching for a particular album). I'd seen DWD added to PA, but didn't care to check them. Then a friend of mine had sent me a LastFM recommendation. I've checked their video there and it left me impressed. I began to search for this album, being more than intrigued with its background story. DWD were a post-THE POSTMAN SYNDROME/pre-BICLOPS band, and 'Understanding Consequences' was their debut but sadly post- humous full-length release. And when I finally got I wasn't too excited - lame cover artwork, short songs (judging from tracklist timing) and probably nothing special in it. I'm absolutely happy to say that I was wrong!

DAY WITHOUT DAWN can be described as a mixture of OCEANSIZE (arpeggi guitars and complex signatures), DREDG (melodic lines and tasteful rhythm-section), COHEED AND CAMBRIA (vocals and the whole alternative flavour) and to some point THE MARS VOLTA, PORCUPINE TREE and TOOL. But this description adds absolutely nothing to what this band really is. Thank God today we have LastFM and MySpace (where they have some free tracks) and anyone can check their stuff to get assured in their unique manner and approach. Each song varies in mood and character; it's hard to regard them as 'catchy', but the more you listen the better you like them! My favourities are 'The Undertide', 'The Wake', 'The Second-to-Last Page' and 'Your Diminutive Hand', but honestly, it's terribly hard to point out a single best track here. I've never liked winds, but unexpected trumpet solos here and there make this album even more eclectic and tasty! Yes, this is the word to describe it - it's TASTY.

This is simply one of the best Modern Prog album I've ever listened to! Anyone who's into Modern Prog MUST HAVE this record in his/her collection. Extremely recommended!

Understanding Consequences does a great combination of progressive rock/metal, post rock/metal and very few others such as jazz, that create a nice smooth and clear sound in a very distinctive way. First of all, the vocals in Understanding Consequence play a very important role. The constant change between the different vocalists and the change between styles create smooth variations in the music. The music is intensive, melodic, heavy and well composed, with barely any flaws.

The first song of the album The Wake kicks off with a drum pattern and eventually is followed by the rest of the instruments. It has a very "post rockfish" feel to it with jazzy and metal dynamics. It's rhythm it's rather moving and explosive as similar to many of the songs of the album. Possibly one of the best song's of the album. The vocals are extremely colorful and striking and create an extremely emotive ambience along with the guitar. Another standout song would have to be Seducing the Dead. This song has that classic prog feel to it, with vocals that bring to mind The Beatles, Yes and other classic prog bands. Its second part tends to be a lot darker with a sort of evil chorus in the background. On the other hand The Deeper Wells has a dark intro and then switches to a very cheery vocal line that sounds similar to Toby Driver from Maudlin of the Well. The last song: The Undertide is the most elaborated song of the album and works well as the album closer.

In overall Understanding Consequences is filled with great moments, great songs and everything you would expect from a great experimental/prog metal band. Highly recommended!

One of the best surprises of 2008.