Two years after their debut album comes Cumbrian metalheads Die No More with the follow up EP – and oh my has it been worth the wait.
Any band who celebrates gigging with the likes of quality like Obzidian, Massive Wagons, Absolva and Twisted Illusion gives me an excitement about what kind of music I’m about to hear and not unsurprisingly DNM do not disappoint.
Opener ‘Save Yourself’ builds into an anthemic chorus with a solo the quality of which you rarely hear in modern metal. What also strikes my ears is singer/rhythm guitarist Marc Farquhar’s voice. A hint of Hatfield, a hint of Steed but still sounding fresh and new.
Next up is ‘Mirage’ continuing with the almost unnervingly big chorus alongside magnificent riffs. ‘The Enemy Within’ has hints of both Metallica and Annihilation but just sounds more relevant and fresh than both.
Closer ‘Destruction Complete’ is a frankly epic (all seven and a half minutes) slab of contemporary metal and is easily as good as anything in the genre I’ve heard all year.
Alongside Marc, lead guitarist Kev Smith shows some serious skills and bassist Martyn Simpson and drummer Steve Orchiton complete as good a bunch of musicians as any currently performing.
With a beautifully polished production too this has to be one of the discoveries of the year for me. Die No More sit somewhere between heavy metal and melodic thrash and genuinely have the potential to sit alongside any of the global big boys – and I mean any of them.
Note the only reason this scores a mere 9.5 instead of a 10 is that I was genuinely gutted at only 4 songs…..
Released 9th September 2016
With a beautifully polished production too this has to be one of the discoveries of the year for me. Die No More sit somewhere between heavy metal and melodic thrash and genuinely have the potential to sit alongside any of the global big boys – and I mean any of them.
