A quick once-over of the debut album from Feb 1st’s Band of the Day. Broadcast Your Identity was released on the 2nd of this month and is the fruits of three years’ work together as a band.
Describing themselves a “modern metal” makes sense as they’ve pulled in a lot of influences from vocal styles and techniques which weren’t round during the days we would perhaps label the “classic” era. Amongst there are multiple vocals, some of them “harsh”, and a vague post-hardcore edge.
It’s a very well produced album, with great sound quality. All the instruments and vocals are crystal clear, but the bass hasn’t been held back and you can feel this thump right through you if you’re in the mood to piss off your neighbours.
Opener “Breathe to Aspire” is one of the highlights for me and acts almost as an overture, giving almost every style the band employ a quick outing. I’d feel safe to say that if you like this one song then you’ll like the album as a whole.
“Miles Away” continues this theme before the significantly heavier “Incorporated” starts to bleed from your speakers. The vocals within are more guttural death metal then in the previous two tracks and that alone makes the whole thing sound more evil. “Miles Away” was one of the two tracks the band picked to promote the album prior to release, and “Smother The Sun” (track 8) was the other. Just the intro to this one makes you realise that Selfmachine aren’t just a one-trick pony.
A vaguely electronic first few seconds and then into some double-kick drums and a thrashier pace than other songs on the album. It settles down after a while, though, to allow the harmonised vocals to do their work.
Then they go and throw another curve ball with the following track, “Becoming The Lie”. Probably as close to a power ballad as their musical style allows, the refrain is almost choral as instruments thunder behinds the mixed vocal tracks.
I could pick individual tracks from the album and easily highlight their good points, but that fact is… they’d all be good points.
It continues to amaze, impress and hearten me that “first time” bands are able to produce something of this quality. Selfmachine are by no means unique in this and that’s one of the best things about managing this page. I get to hear so many releases from smaller acts, and I really hope the vast majority go on to do a second, third, fourth…
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