Search - Will Haven :: Carpe Diem

Carpe Diem is a towering achievement. In an age when even the lamest nu-metal bands sound like the devil stubbing his toe in the depths of hell, the true yardstick of quality isn't anger or aggression, but precision. Sacramento four-piece Will Haven--who've toured with the Deftones and Limp Bizkit and been feted by Slipknot--know exactly how to turn a whisper into a scream. Drawing on a set of influences that stretch beyond metal into the taut dynamics of hardcore, Carpe Diem is a punishing yet exhilarating journey into the heart of noise. Simple melodies are set aside for grooves and riffs that have a lurching elasticity, while singer Grady Avenell murders his own larynx in the quest for catharsis. "Saga" and "Alpha Man" are perfectly realized examples of post-nu-metal hardcore, and "Bats" even drifts in a brief moment of Labradford-style post-rock before leaping back into the fray. This willingness to experiment may rob the band of real mass appeal, but like System of a Down, Will Haven take rock into exciting new realms. --Ian Watson