Post by jptheprofessor on Apr 9, 2006 20:47:25 GMT -5
4 DAYS DIRTY - RAISE YOUR HAND.IF YOU FEEL LIKE DYING (no label) After honing their hard-hitting style and sound on area stages over the past two years, 4 Days Dirty unleashes a powerful calling card with their first full-length album, Raise Your Hand...If You Feel Like Dying. Singer/guitarist Steven Danfelt, guitarist/backing vocalist Joe Neary, bassist Paul Greiner and drummer Justin Fair introduce us to their musical turf of bone-jarring rhythms, menacing guitars and emotion-packed vocals; executing forceful melodies with intriguing plot twists and gearshifting. 4 Days Dirty's rollercoaster of raw metal intensity and emotions is rooted in the alt-metal tradition of Deftones, Staind and Tool. But this group understands dynamics; shaping their sound with concise grooves that erupt into volatile and aggressive bursts, varying sonic colorings between subdued and enraged, and the visceral full-vent dual screaming of Danfelt and Neary. All eleven songs are distinct and hold their own well, from the more immediate explosiveness of "Blindside," "Wait," "Stone Cold" and "'Shot'Gun" to the more reserved tones of "Wanted" and "Loosen My Grip;" to the elaborately-crafted ode to cyber warfare, "Killbox," and the escalating intensity of "Downtime" and "Disguise." Recorded and produced by Dave Moses at his F.U.P. Studios in Hollidaysburg, Raise Your Hand... sounds appropriately raw, jagged and bristling. But Moses doesn't let the nuances of 4 Days Dirty's sound get buried in the heavy-hitting maelstrom; we hear the textures and layering of the guitars and the use of reverb to flesh out Steve Danfelt's controlled vocal tones. The end result on Raise Your Hand...If You Feel Like Dying is a convincing introductory set from 4 Days Dirty, that not just demonstrates the group's volatility and all-out metallic aggression, but also their detail and knack for dynamics and subtlety. This is an impressive debut that slams the exclamation point on 4 Days Dirty's coming of age, and should be one of the strongest albums to emerge from the area music scene this year. (The disc can be purchased at the group's shows, or by contacting the band through their website, www.4daysdirty.com.)