When Day Descends – Transcend
Self-Released – August 6th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
Progressive metal doesn’t always have to be overwrought with masturbatory instrumentation, nor does it have to be fronted by singers who are not heterosexual. One example of this is the one-man, unsigned project known as
When Day Descends. On
Transcend, Caswell mixes tasteful, progressive musings and, at the same time, opts for the exclusion of vocals of any sort. Fortunately, in a subtle way, the album works as it should.
Much more soothing than blustery,
Transcend is both ambient and atmospheric in its delivery, which provides a solid background soundtrack for any activity that can reasonably or feasibly involve music. Featuring organic noisemakers such as acoustic guitar and piano, and melding those with their distorted counterparts, makes for an interesting dichotomy. The clean leads of “Infinite” are fantastically arranged, and keyboards slap another coat of paint on
When Day Descends’s audible landscape. Strangely enough,
Metroid Prime worshippers will notice just how similar the keyboard tones are in songs like “Infinite” and countless others. Well not
countless, but I’m sure you get the idea. To reiterate a bit, this album isn’t arresting in the sense that it demands attention or astounds with its unneeded wankery, but it is arresting in the fact that the occasional sparseness and balmy melodies have a way of caressing even the most hardened and/or seasoned of listeners. I must also mention that the song lengths vary greatly, the record legitimately occupies more than an hour of time, and the artwork is reminiscent of
Devin Townsend’s Terria.
So, what have we learned today?
When Day Descends certainly aren’t redefining the boundaries of progressive metal with
Transcend. However, it’s simply an instrumental, prog album that deserves more accolades than much of what sees the light of day on predictable, everyday labels. I won’t name names here, though I do declare that
Transcend is gripping in an endearing, sincere way. And perhaps that’s what counts most of all.
8/10
UltimateMetal’s Unsigned Spotlight with When Day Descends
Official When Day Descends Website
