This Day Forward

In Response

BY Chris GramlichPublished Jan 1, 2006

After two full-lengths that established This Day Forward as a competent if somewhat unoriginal metallic/hardcore act, their Kairos EP signalled a fork in the road for the young band. Would they venture off from their aggressive path, following the more rock/emo road, or mitigate their newfound influences with more of the heaviness of the past? With In Response, the answer is the path of least musical resistance, if not creativity, as the aggression of past releases is cut with more and more rock aesthetics, emo-ish moments of reflection, melodies and the occasional screamed refrain amongst the predominantly sung vocals. But far from jumping on the Thursday bandwagon of emo-hardcore bands aiming for major deals and airplay (although there are now more similarities than ever), In Response is an articulate and well-orchestrated album that is brimming with sentiment and way more rock. When This Day Forward hit upon the perfect mix of the hard/soft combination, combining intertwining metal leads with build-ups and instances of respite before throwing themselves back into the fray, ("White Picket Fence,” "The Breath,” "Fragile Breath”) they hit it dead bang. Other times, they accidentally come too close to some Deftones/P.O.D.-ish moments of commoditised commercial rage. In the no man’s land between their metallic past and current emo rock fascination is where TDF are at their best.
(Equal Vision)

Latest Coverage