Search - Dark New Day :: Twelve Year Silence

No Surprises: Just Great Music.

Andrew Estes | Maine | 06/21/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you know the background of Dark New Day, you can pretty much know what to expect from their debut without hearing a single note. This group, which has been together for a little over half a year, is comprised of former members of Sevendust, Stereomud, Skrape, DoubleDrive and that dude who played bass for Creed (you know, the one who wasn't allowed in their videos or on the album cover). Their sound is a hefty combination of five guys who have been in the music scene long enough to develop their own musical identity, and obviously, a very strong and fruitful bond with each other. The title of the album, "12 Year Silence," is based on the fact that it has been twelve years since these old chums have played in a band together. So what we have here is a debut from a band with instant confidence and a defined sound, that will definitely appeal to fans of the previously mentioned groups.



Brett Hestla (that dude from Creed) handles the main vocal duties, and all I can say is: Wow. The guy has great pipes. What was he doing with Creed when he had much more talent? He is backed by Clint Lowery, the fallen Sevendust guitarist, who is the main reason why this album, and perhaps the group themselves, will always be compared to Sevendust (brace yourself, you're gonna see that name many times in this review). Those chunky, bottom heavy riffs he delivered in the 'Dust are just as dominant here, while Troy McLawhorn (DoubleDrive) and the other Lowery brother, Corey (formerly of Stereomud) back him up on guitar and bass (and in that order). Will Hunt, he of Skrape fame, proves to be a solid drummer, and belts out many yells that will have people hearing Sevendust even more in this music. As good as Hestla is, along with the other members, Lowery is easily the star of the show. I loved him in Sevendust, he was a crucial member (which has me kinda worried about THEIR fate), and it was great to see a guitarist who was so involved in the writing process, with a great voice to go along. Fans who followed him from Sevendust will not be disappointed. Not to slight the other members though, they've all got skill. Afterall, there isn't a bad track at all on this disc. "Brother," "Taking Me Alive" and "Fill Me Again" are instant hits, and the best representatives of D.N.D.'s (no, not Dungeons & Dragons) sound. "That's Enough" and "Follow The Sun Down," as the lightest moments, also provide the most clarity, and are primarily focused on the gifted songwriting (while the other tracks are more based on hooks and riffs), which, much like Sevendust, is of a highly collaborative nature.



True, the album is not without it's flaws. Main problem? You've heard Sevendust and Stereomud? Well, you know what to expect here. There's no beating around the bush, this will appeal to any and all Sevendust fans. And on a side note, while I'm a great fan of Lowery's, I'm a bit disappointed in his departure from what I consider to be one of the top rock bands of the past decade. As confident as I am in his replacement (Sonny Mayo, of Snot/Amen/(hed)p.e. fame), I know I will hear his absence in the next Sevendust album. Nevertheless, "12 Year Silence" is an instant hit. For a band that is rather new, but simultaneously old, they sure have a firm grip and will no doubt sound even better with their next record. And I bet they sound incredible live."

A Very Solid First Album for Band only 6 Months Old At the T

M. Hart | USA | 10/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Few bands can claim to only have been together for a only few months and be able to have recorded a fantastic album, but such is the case with the group "Dark New Day" with the release of their album "Twelve Year Silence" in June, 2005. The band, which formed at the beginning of 2005, is comprised of Clint Lowery (guitar/vocals) who was a cofounder of the band Sevendust, his brother Corey Lowery (bass/vocals) who played in two previous groups, Troy McLawhorn (guitar/vocals) who once played for Doubledrive, Brett Hestla (bass/vocals) who once played for Creed and Will Hunt (drums/vocals). The combined professional experience of all five members is quite evident with the high quality of the music on this group's first album containing 11 songs at a total length of just over 45 minutes.



My rating for each of the album's 11 songs are listed below:



1. "Taking Me Alive" (5). A quiet beginning, then a discordant piano starts before the song ignites with bass & percussion and vocals from Brett Hestla.



2. "Brother" (5+). A soft beginning of guitars & percussion is the catalyst for the more powerful bass that joins in before giving way to let Brett Hestla's excellent vocals come through for the soft versus. These give way to the far more powerful & emotional choruses.



3. "Free" (5). Backwards-sounding guitars begin this softer song, but becomes more intense with the highly harmonized & bass-driven choruses, then leads to a more powerful center section.



4. "Pieces (5+). A stylized start explodes with percussion, bass & guitar, as well as some intense vocals.



5. "Bare Bones" (5+). Strong percussion accompanied by guitar & bass paves the road for some deep vocals, then intensifies for more harmonization and overall intensity. This gives way to a softer, ballad-like center section, but returns to its more intense sound.



6. "That's Enough" (4.5). A guitar-picked start with percussion accompanies Brett's vocals, then picks up with greater harmonization from the other band members for the choruses. More of a ballad.



7. "Fill Me Again" (5). Good start of powerfully melodic chords sets the stage for the vocals and very well harmonized vocals.



8. "Lean" (5+). A dark beginning explodes with bass, percussion & intense vocals with an incredible chorus and an instrumental center.



9. "Evergreen" (4). A ballad (essentially) with softer instrumentation that emphasizes the vocals & harmonized choruses.



10. "Heal in Time" (4.5). Guitars quickly give way to bass in this song that uses a lot minor chords in the verses, but with choruses dominated more by major chords.



11. "Follow the Sun Down" (5). An acoustic guitar begins this slow ballad with emotional vocals and well-harmonized choruses.



Overall, I rate the album "Twelve Year Silence" by "Dark New Day" with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars and very highly recommend it to anyone who also enjoys groups such as Disturbed, Mudvayne and Stone Sour. In my opinion, this is one of the best albums for 2005."

For those who dont know

John P. Markham | Princeton, KY USA | 12/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those who dont know. Not only were the members of this band from Sevendust, Creed, Stereomud, Doubledrive and Skrape. But Brett Hestla(lead vocals) was the lead singer and guitarist for one of the most underrated and genius bands to never make it big. They were called "Virgos Merlot" later known as "Virgos" and you have to listen to them to see how much talent they had. Dark New Day is about as good as Virgos, the only reason Virgos didnt get any further is because the big shots didnt know how to market them. All in all though this album is great. Not a bad song on here, the best in my opinion are "Free", "Taking me Alive"(which reminds me of Tool and Alice in Chains) and "Evergreen".





-JPM"