"I want this new, young band to continue to flourish and grow"

by Elise Robinson, Writer & Editor

  Take four young men, with outstanding technical ability and a passion, a drive - and you create a near perfect rock band, right?

On paper, As Daylight Dies fit that bill. I think it's a matter of time and experience before we have one of the best Bedfordshire-born bands for a long time.

Firstly, there is no doubting these boys' abilities. I have seen them perform live several times and I can assure you what you hear on the recording is real. This is no showcase of post-production or sound effects. Lead guitarist Ollie confidently taps and bends like there's no tomorrow. Technical skill like this is refreshing and it makes the track memorable and exciting. Losing Grip would be the perfect soundtrack for your air guitar!

Equally as talented; Gareth on drums and Joe on bass are a precise and skilled rhythm section, providing the essential backbone for the guitars to crawl all over. Although I understand the band may have had little or no control over the mixing of this track, the levels do not do the musicians justice. The bass was very, very quiet. After listening to the recording with the aim of reviewing it, I couldn't remember hearing any bass guitar at all. This makes the track sound treble-heavy all the way through. Unfortunately, this is what stands between Losing Grip being an anthem that could stand the test of time and a recording tainted by sub-par production.

It is a similar case with the lead vocal, provided by the hybrid front man Leo. Both his singing and screaming sections sound confident and accurate. However, due to a mixture of levelling issues and a slight lack of diction, some of the clarity of the words is lost. This means the lyrics are patchy if you don't really concentrate on them at all times.

The backing vocals are well crafted and sit well in the mix. Having three members sing different harmonies gives the last chorus a more epic feeling than the ones gone before, causing the song to progress and develop.

I absolutely love the track. I want this new, young band to continue to flourish and grow; learn from their mistakes and learn from other people's mistakes. After having this song on repeat for half an hour while I write this review, remarkably, I'm not bored of it. In my eyes, that's the sound of awesome songwriters, and that's the part of being a great band that you just can't teach.

Photos by Adam Gregory Photography