Dying Daylight - Luminous dreams 3.5/5
Reviewed: 3-13-09
Tracklist:
1. Sleeping away (intro)
2. 50 days of sorrow
3. Recall
4. Burden of agony
5. Season's change
6. Dying Daylight
7. Stardust dancer
8. Solace in silence
9. Fading
10. Angel in heaven
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Dying Daylight is a band from Finland and 'Luminous dreams' is their full-length debut. Although the band was formed in 2003, they've gone through numerous line-up changes and have had some problems, but keyboardist Ville Skön kept the band alive and was eventually able to obtain a complete band for the 2008 release of this CD. All of the members have experience in other bands too, including bassist Justin Biggs (who's also currently with Revolution Renaissance) and female vocalist Suvi Vertanen, who has been a backing vocalist (part of the choir) for the popular and long-running Swedish band Therion, though she's moved on from Therion and Dying Daylight has become her focus.
In a way, 'Luminous dreams' is your typical female fronted symphonic/gothic/atmospheric CD, but I do think the band has their own identity. This is due in large part to the fairly unique voice of Suvi, who seems to combine different vocal styles; sometimes she's your standard upbeat gothic metal vocalist, sometimes she's quite dark, and other times she can be somewhat operatic and more in the soprano range. I like her voice and think she does a very solid job, but just like all vocalists, not everyone will be happy with her performance. One thing's for sure, she's instantly recognizable and an important part of what makes the band who they are.
What's so impressive about this CD (especially considering it's a debut) is that it's consistent from start to finish regarding quality. All of the songs are good to great, and there's not one weak song, but at the same time none of the songs completely blow me away. It's one of those CDs that's thoroughly enjoyable and you're left very satisfied, but not totally amazed. Though there is some speed, most of the songs are slow to mid-paced, and for those who are very much into female fronted symphonic/gothic/atmospheric metal, you should know what to expect. A few positive aspects worth mentioning are the occasional guitar solos that pop up and are well done, and also the wonderful piano play, which definitely adds something special to the songs. I should also mention that this is more of an atmospheric CD, as opposed to a highly symphonic or bombastic one, and I think the style fits Suvi's voice very well.
I don't really have favorite songs from this CD, as I enjoy them all, but I will say that the smooth track 9 "Fading" is probably the most memorable, and it's followed by the closer "Angel in heaven", a beautiful slow song with a nice chorus. So I'm certainly satisfied with this great debut, and I think the band is promising.
CLINT
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