Well this is a pleasant surprise. Everything about the logo and artwork for some reason told me to expect something a bit trendy and metalcore – it just goes to show, even the best of us get it wrong sometimes. I’ll begin with the fine print; this is only a taster of things to come with a full-length expected later in 2010. With 13 minutes of serotonally-deprived melancholic death-doom, Daylight Misery could well be the Greek answer to our Big 3. It’s obvious from the depressive Anathemaeic guitars that take us into the ‘Meadows Of Desire’ that these have something good going on and this is a lovely introduction to their soothing, melodious sounds. This one features the beautiful voice of Efthimis Karadimas (Nightfall) whose gothic tones blend effortlessly into the mix juxtaposing the gruff lead vocals of Vassilis "Illdisposer" Mazaris just enough without treading that clichéd beauty and the beast path that can easily spoil a good song if not done well.
There is a real strong crunch to their sound which drives the music along at a reasonable pace while the maudlin melodies work their way around, at times rising to crescendo and piecing together the compositions. ‘Soul Embraced’ comes in with a minimalist rhythm which really puts the focus on the deathly yet melodic vocals before being overshadowed by some massive doom-drenched pianos and sweeping harmonies which never stray too far from those driving guitar-heavy rhythm sections. The cries of ‘can you see my misery?’ ooze desperation and passion. Daylight Misery know how to craft memorable songs and they pour genuine feeling into every note.
The last of the three tracks ‘Depressive Icons’ takes searing violins and secures you into a place of desolation and sorrow. It has a beautiful flowing melody and a bit of a My Dying Bride slant to things. It’s worth noting that the production here is top notch and is provided by George Bokos (Rotting Christ). With this simply being a taster it’s difficult to pass a fair judgement on the band, but I am certainly looking forward to things to come. I’ve been pretty effusive with the praise here and to turn it down a notch I have to end with saying it’s nothing original or mind-blowing but if the rest of the album is this good anyone with an appreciation of gothic doom would be silly not to want it in their collection.
http://www.myspace.com/daylightmiseryband
