Archive for September, 2009
Day Turns Night Review BY WRAITH
Day Turns Night
Day Turns Night – a melodic death metal band situated at the southernmost tip of Africa – are currently finding increased interest and appreciation for their music amongst heavy music listeners across the globe.
Their story starts off with three of their current members Ferdi, Roland and Tian, and one of their former members, Izan Visser. Together these four, provided the instrumentation behind Helderberg-based punk bank Fozim.
Meanwhile two of the other current band members were also working on their skills. The first time they met Sarge, which also lead to his new name, came from Fozim’s initial demo recordings. During these early days for new wave metal concerts in the area, they saw performances of one of the very few metal bands in the area, Decay of Angels. Striking up a solid relationship with vocalist Karel would turn out to be well worth the effort in their upcoming journey. Sarge was also part of the EP recording for Decay Of Angels.
When the time came for the Fozim boys to look for a new vocalist they didn’t realize that they were coming to what appeared to be the end of a chapter, but instead were laying the foundations for a new one.Sarge recorded another three tracks for them which they’d use for audition purposes. After initially declining a try-out in their recruitment campaign, Karel pitched for an audition.
They weren’t just blown away and happy to welcome Karel to his new ‘home’, but also realised they were now heading in a new direction with their music. After two songs had been written, they renamed the band to one of those tracks, When Day Turns To Night.
With this line up they formed their sound, and also bit into the pie ( Yes I like pies okay 
) that is the growing Cape Town (and surrounding) metal scene and recorded their first EP entitled ‘Another Day In Hell.’
Recorded by Sarge in Roland’s house, and mixed by Izan, this album sold really well and attained high regard for the sound quality achieved in a make-shift recording environment.
Not too long after the release of this album, due to a freak accident the rest of the band had to bid farewell to Izan (86-07). With another gig lined up, that was set in the memory of Izan, they were in search of a new guitarist that could fill the role of Izan.
With prior discussions and also having worked with him, they approached Sarge, and he accepted their request. After the lined-up gigs he became a permanent member of Day Turns Night.
The first year with the new line up consisted of various small gigs, the forming of their song writing process, gaining some more experience with recording, and venturing out of the Western Cape region for the first time and performing at local festivals.
After a very successful national tour in June 2008, they realized that their own influence and stature within the local metal scene (and that they were now motivated to put more concentrated effort into the band) came in the form of being selected (by the public) to open for Devildriver in Cape Town, as part of a planned South African tour. Until the cancellation of the show, they were also in a rally to open the Johannesburg show.
The cancellation brought on a new goal for them, to produce a full length album in six months – six months later they released their debut album ‘Fallen Legacy’.
With this self-produced and self-recorded album (mixed by Zack Ohren of Castle Ultimate Studios) they showcase the range and variety of their musical prowess and establish their unique sound that their fans and friends have both enjoy and mosh to ( \m/ yes please! ).
They have also become one of the more sought after local bands. Due to popular demand they have played four of the six main events hosted by Metal4Africa in the last 3 years. After their first appearance on the Ramfest stage in 2008, they proceeded to headline the Black Parade Stage in 2009 and they were the main regional support act for the Haste The Day Tour early 2009 as well ( I was there in the Klein Libertas! \m/ ).
Review:
Before I listened to it I took a look at the cover art and thought to myself “Hell yeah, here we go”, I then started listening and the pure win that came out of my speakers told me the following:From the very first track with what sounds like, some kind of demonic screaming in the background, you already knew you were in for something out of this world.
And onto track 2 with ‘Forward The Demons March”, I got greeted by a really amazing intro and some brilliant drumming that left me wanting more. The guitars left me wanting more and more, and then after the amazing intro came to an end.
The vocals popped in and made me well aware that I was in for more than I expected, “RETRIBUTION!!! MY DECAY!!!” , was the part that really caught me in that song, pure metal.
Then there was the occasional blasting I heard from the drums, which I have only heard in a few bands as of late, which added an even more death metal feel to it.
Moving on with the album I definitely got a feel for their music, and how the live shows would be, the vocals have a very similar effect to, The Black Dahlia Murder, (which is probably my favourite international band at the moment), in the sense that Karel has a high pitched scream and then the lowish growls add some variation to it all, which I’m a really big fan of. The songs are constructed well, and the lyrics ring of true metalness, maybe a bit dark for some, but that’s what Death Metal is about after all.
With Ferdi’s metronomical precision and power at the drums, Karel’s bellowing low- and fear-striking high pitch vocals, the paired guitar onslaught of Roland and Sarge and the melody-enhancing low end courtesy of Tian, they are set to grow into a global representative for South African metal and a brilliant one at that.
I don’t have much more to say about Day Turns Night, since I had no problems with the band or their music, and I can honestly say that I can’t believe that they are from South Africa, it really is incredible and if you call yourself a metalhead, that you need to get your hands on the ‘Fallen Legacy’ album.
Now for the rating (I can already see the editor getting that red pen of his ready ), its a bit unfair to the other bands and their genres because I’m really into Melodic Death Metal, but anyhow. [No Edit Needed 
- Scream]
I give Day Turns Night 4.5 / 5 horns \m/.
Well done guys. Looking forward to seeing you live. \m/
Wraith
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