Haste The Day - Attack of the Wolf King
Rating
RIYL
As I Lay DyingOh, Sleeper
Beneath the Sky
The Agony Scene
Release Date
06/29/2010
Label
Solid StateTracklist
1. Wake Up the Sun2. Dog Like Vultures
3. The Quiet, Deadly Ticking
4. Travesty
5. Merit for Sadness
6. The Un-Manifest
7. The Place That Most Deny
8. White as Snow
9. Crush Resistance
10. Walk With a Crooked Spine
11. My Name is Darkness
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2010 has been a big year for surprisingly good metalcore releases. As I Lay Dying, Beneath the Sky, Counterparts, and many others have put out solid efforts that restored people’s faith in the dying genre. Haste the Day’s latest album, Attack of the Wolf King, can also be added to that list of bands now, which may be a surprise considering the group’s steady journey over the past few years to Sucksville, U.S.A.
Ever since vocalist Stephen Keech joined the band, there has been a noticeable difference in style and quality with Haste the Day’s music. They tried to expand their sound on Pressure the Hinges and Dreamer, but ended up making the music too simplistic and generic; therefore, fans started to lose interest. On Attack of the Wolf King, Haste the Day return to their roots, using basic metalcore concepts and improving upon them with the band’s newfound musicianship, which is a result of various member changes in recent years. The guitars are blazing, with interesting melodies and well executed choruses, the drums are strategically placed throughout the songs with pummeling double bass and intricate beats that help make the structured arrangements more varied, and Keech’s vocals have come a long, long way since his debut with the group; they’re fuller, more diverse, and as ferocious as ever.
We’re all aware of how metalcore songs are structured so there’s little reason to break down these songs part by part. Instead, it’s more worthwhile to point out overall improvements to Haste the Day’s sound, besides the previously mentioned ones. Take “Wake up the Sun” for example, the song starts off with a guitar lead shredding over top a rhythmic intro before the atmospheric verse kicks in. The track goes through the standard verse/chorus/verse/chorus path, then the intro part comes in again to branches off into a short-lived breakdown, proving that less really is more sometimes. In the past, Haste the Day seemed to throw in breakdowns haphazardly, but this time around, however, they make sense in the context of the music.
Additionally, Haste the Day creates an atmosphere throughout the album that connects all of the songs together, giving Attack of the Wolf King a more cohesive feel than past efforts. Guitar leads as seen in the beginning of “Dog Like Vultures” and at the end of “Un-Manifest” show off this enhancement nicely. Another noteworthy feat, not only for the band but for any metalcore act, is successfully pulling off a slower, all singing song. “White as Snow” sounds like it came off of a Deftones album; it has a dark mood with beautiful, ambient guitar melodies that compliment the vocals and add a much needed break from the intensity of the album.
Trying to convince previous fans of a band that there is reason to give them a chance again is a tough job, but hopefully this review entices people to check out Attack of the Wolf King. This isn’t a perfect album, though, as some of the songs are less impacting than others, and the clean singing choruses have been done to death, but it’s hard to complain when a band knows how to pull it off. Coming from someone who stopped liking Haste the Day five years ago, you should give this album a chance, so go do it.
--Nicholas Fritz
Comments
Minneapolis, MN
Hmm, 4 stars eh? I may check this out now. I still say Haste the Day peaked with Burning Bridges though.
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Quakertown, PA
This is what the follow up to Burning Bridges should have sounded like so if you were into that album, you should like this one.
Green Brook, NJ
first good album since they changed singers. really loving this.
Fishers, Indiana
I'm a big fan of this. It doesn't seem to be fresh, but it's solid.
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Quakertown, PA
Exactly, it's nothing new, it's been done many times before, but it's good for what it is and deserves to be recognized for that.
san diego, ca
Wow. I fell outta listening after "When Everything Falls." I must say, this album put a fat smile on my face. The guitar work is great! Reminds me of August Burns Red or Killswitch. Super glad these guys came out with a sweet album. Can't wait for these guys to tour.
Kansas
one of the most average albums I've ever listened to...
http://rateyourmusic.com/~benny06
Raleigh, NC
This band has never recorded a single good song, ever.
Infinitely Inwards
This next statement has nothing to do with this album as it is somewhat enjoyable.............but, I ask this question with most (what I call mainstream) metalcore.....Do bands that make albums like this ever listen to anything except their previous releases. I mean, if I were in a band that was going (or had already been) stale, then I might attempt to pull from other sources for inspiration. Maybe try listening to more different types of music. My friend Brandon, who plays bass for St. Valentine's Day Massacre ( a deathcore band) only listens to hardcore and pop punk exclusively. No wonder the music he helps write is one dimensional. Look at bands like Periphery and BTBAM....They are loosely associated with the metalcore/deathcore movement, but they are mostly held in high regard above their endless sea of peers because of their complexity and depth. Layers, Depth, and Atmosphere = interesting music.....copying scene expectations = more money......sad thing. This is an old argument that really goes nowhere.
Cult of Luna - Vertikal
Persefone - Spiritual Migration
Amplifier - Echo Street
Agrypnie - Aetas Cineris
The Flaming Lips - The Terror
Minnesota
Sometimes I also think bands are just lazy. They might know they're stagnating, but they can churn out the same shit, with a little more gloss, and if it's promoted decently kids will eat it up. Why experiment? It might fail...
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Quakertown, PA
I think that's a valid question but not every band cares about breaking the mold. Some are content with sticking with what works for them and making simple improvements along the way. I'm not saying that's an admirable quality, but it's just how it is. If every band cared about doing something different, we'd have a lot more like Periphery and BBTAM, and we probably wouldn't appreciate those types of artists as much when they do come around.
For Haste the Day, I think they were smart with making this album. I'm sure they saw the bad reviews they received from past two releases, realized they needed something safe that would appeal to their fans and maybe win some old ones back, and they did that successfully in my opinion. Also, for a commercialized metalcore record, this is a pretty damn good one.
Infinitely Inwards
True....and I realize what you are saying....I guess I just get selfish because it happens to be one of my favorite genres and I never can get exactly what I want. I only get those mindblowing (break the mold, as you say) albums that come along once every year or so. I guess that I am biased for loving progressive music (no matter the sub genre) and it ruins a lot of musical enjoyment that I could have had if I were 7 or 8 years younger. Change and adaptation are what lets anything survive and it seems that metalcore/deathcore doesn't understand that. Of course, however, it is just as rick said.....its basically about the money. Why try when it sells just fine at the moment.
Cult of Luna - Vertikal
Persefone - Spiritual Migration
Amplifier - Echo Street
Agrypnie - Aetas Cineris
The Flaming Lips - The Terror
Olympia, Washington
listen to "un-manifest"...it might change your mind.
Minnesota
Huh. Just getting to this now. Way better than the last two albums... but still nothing compared to when Jimmy was with the band.
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