Artist description A dark, somber and ultimately melancholy look into the eyes of metal

Music Style Dark Metal

Musical Influences Saturnus, Anathema, Katatonia, old In Flames, Slowdive, October Tide, Shape of Despair, Opeth, Mozart, Chopin, Bach

Similar Artists Anathema, Katatonia, October Tide, Rapture, Sentenced, In Flames, Opeth

Artist History When North Carolina's Daylight Dies started as a project of Barre Gambling and Jesse Haff in 1996, little did they know the vehicle they created together would blossom into one of metal's most promising upstarts. Due to geographical constraints, Barre and Haff's Daylight Dies moved slowly to produce the band's first demo, "The Long Forgotten Demo," a rough-and-ready compilation of raw ideas. Recorded almost three years after the formation of the band with the help of session musicians, the demo was, however, an early indicator of Daylight Dies great potential. It wasn't until a year later that the two core members would add a permanent vocalist in the form of Guthrie Iddings. Finally, Daylight Dies was on a serious track to becoming a full-fledged band. With a vocalist in place, the trio then proceeded to record a second demo, "Idle," which further illustrated the band's musical and compositional growth. "Idle" created such an impact locally that Greensboro-based Tribunal Records picked up the demo and repackaged it. The demo was lauded for its attention to detail, melody and atmosphere. For many, it filled the gap that no other stateside act thus far could achieve. "Idle" was the first group of material where we really felt like we were establishing the sound, which we sought," says Haff of "Idle" and how the band started coming into its own. Certainly, "Idle" was an impressive start. Yet, Daylight Dies wasn't complete. As a trio, the band found it difficult to perform the material live; the inability to tour wasn't in Daylight Dies immediate plans. A year after the recording and release of "Idle," Egan O'Rourke was enlisted as Daylight Dies full-time bassist. O'Rourke's bottom end added depth to the sound, something which was missing on early recordings. As a quartet, the band quickly starting writing together and the first work to come out of Daylight Dies was a label-only two-song demo. The demo was shipped to various labels who had expressed interest early on. The strength of the music alone was enough to land Daylight Dies an offer from Relapse Records. In late 2001, Daylight Dies signed to the label, where the band shares a common thread with Morgion, Amorphis and licensed artists Rapture and Shape Of Despair. "We'll be one of the first bands to offer music rooted in dark emotional content rather than aggression," Haff says. "We'll also be one of the few to be heavily melodic yet saturated in dark atmosphere." With a permanent home on Relapse, the quartet started writing their debut full-length. Titled, "No Reply," the album will contain eight dark and desperate songs that will be far more encompassing than "Idle." Daylight Dies new material is more varied and textured, two traits that signal development. "The material on "No Reply" continues progressing in this vein but with more focus and definition," Haff explains of how "No Reply" and "Idle" differ. "We feel the new songs are the most emotionally potent material we have created as of yet. On "No Reply" we've captured a somewhat doomier sound while improving our dark catchy qualities." Haff couldn't be more correct. "No Reply" is such an emotionally charged album that its massive melodies, dirges and expressive soul should hit you like you've never been hit before. You'll feel "No Reply" everywhere; its physical and emotional weight far greater than you ever anticipated from such a fledgling band.

Group Members Barre Gambling (Guitars) - Jesse Haff (Drums) - Guthrie Iddings (Vocals) - Egan O'Rourke (Bass)

Instruments Acoustic/Electric Guitars, Drums, Piano, Bass Guitar, Vocals

Albums No Reply [DEBUT CD], Idle [DEMO CD]

Press Reviews From: Digitalmetal.com Even though a ton of hype surrounded Daylight Dies’ debut EP on N.C.’s Tribunal Records last year, I actually only heard it once. Shame on me, I know. By all accounts, including my music saturated memory, it was a stellar slab of melodic death metal. I hate that I missed it and will no doubt scrounge up my own copy in the future. The good news, for me, is that Relapse has now released the band’s debut full-length called No Reply and, let me tell you, this is one fine record. A bit mellow when compared with Relapse’s usual output, but dark, menacing and heavy nonetheless. If I wanted to slap a quick description on the band, I’d say they fall somewhere between Opeth and pre-Colony In Flames. The music is very melodic, while still retaining a guitar intensive heaviness. The mix is very clean, while not losing any of that beloved metal punch. The guitars are thick and wide, with rich tones and a good mix of clean and distorted melodies. One could also add progressive to the list of applicable adjectives as there are plenty of twists and turns along Daylight Dies’ musical path. While not as '70s prog as Opeth, we find many riff and melody changes within the extended song lengths. Lots of dark riffs overlaid with clean counter-melodies and a strong melodic framework. Did I mention how melodic they are? Vocally, the band sticks with a singular, mid-range growl/roar throughout the record’s duration. To some this would be a detriment, especially with many of today’s bands taking the “Chuck Billy Approach” and utilizing many different vocal styles on one record. But, hey, nobody ever accused Bruce Dickinson of sounding the same all the time. When it works, it works and on No Reply, it works well. This is a record that metal fans the far and wide can latch on to with its combination of dark melody and deathly aggression and that’s exactly what I urge each and every one of you to do. From: Terrorizer Magazine (UK) 8 out of 10 -- Having crafted some thoughtful and fluent material here, Daylight Dies are one of the few american bands meeting european standards in their chosen style. A confident amalgam of plaintive guitars and snarling vocals, these North Carolinians provide three quality examples of tuneful, melodic death metal punctuated by two brooding piano pieces. Not as melancholic as their band name, somber photography and downbeat lyrics might suggest, but a precocious release heralding the beginnings of a very promising musical career.

Location Raleigh, North Carolina - USA

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