Crucial Blast

As much as I love listening to hour-long tracks of druggy amp-drone jams and records from blotter-chewing black metal freaks, it can get a little intense sometimes. And one thing that I've discovered in my years of listening to metal, noise, hardcore, psychedelia and other weird musics for hours on end is that are few better palette cleansers for yer eardrums than a meaty serving of riff-heavy, rip-roaring death n' roll. Or rock and roll-juiced death metal. Or death metal-infested rock, or however you want to put it. All I know is that when a band manages to stumble across that perfect connection between balls-out rock and crushing death metal, it's a beautiful thing. Lots of bands make the attempt, but few are as effective as Daymares, a Polish band that has combined the brutal boogie of late-90's Entombed with ironclad riffage a la High On Fire, Motorhead's buzzsaw blues swagger, and a healthy helping of crusty hardcore. Gritty, raw, and fucking catchy, Daymares are that post-nuke bar band at the biker pub out on the edges of the wasteland - snarling, crushing groove death that lodges itself in yer cranium, tracks like "Falling Down" and "Almost There" demanding fist-pumping singalongs no matter where the hell yer at. "I Shit You Not" and it's cowbell and godly riffage make for one of the catchiest tunes on the disc, and "Contact" injects some spacey Monster Magnetism into a churning deathcore beating that recalls the cult DC band Damnation A.D before closing with a wall of tribal toms a la Neurosis. Sure, it's nothing groundbreaking, but I love a killer death n' roll album and Can't Get Us All is a pretty monstrous debut from this band - can't wait to hear more from them. If you're into the stuff that bands like Cursed and Doomriders have been doing recently, too, you should check Daymares out. The case has some neat monochrome artwork that stands out from Selfmadegod's usual computer generated layouts, and it comes in a O-card style sleeve.

digitalmetal.com

Absolute primal filth.

That's the best way to describe this raggedy, raucous filthgrinder from Poland who put energy, attitude and sheer swagger above any technical musings or to following what's hot into this, their debut record. Damn, this is so vigorously filthy (that word again) that I can just envisage the smallest basement in a desolate, lost area of Poland, crammed to the hilt with sweaty devotees, itching to invade the stage in order to dive off it and to wrench the mic from vocalist's Pat's claws.

Now what constituents would be responsible for making manifest such a racket? Answer. A virile mix of prime death n roll, hardcore and punk rock all equally infused into their brew. Thus, undoubtedly Can't Get Us All, will appeal to people as much into the dirty end of Entombed as those into crustier outfits such as Tragedy and Cursed. Right from 'Get Us All,' this is affirmed and the above amalgamation is apparent with screeching yet equally grooving riffs and barking but also decipherable vox that echo those greats from Sweden, the US and Canada.

Early standout is 'Into the night,' which is driven by one of the many, many grooving riffs present but also a composition that brings their hardcore influences right to the forefront through the presence of pounding double bass and a spiralling, even dramatic but more so apocalyptic riff.

From here the palette continues to broaden showing the full breath of their influences some of the best being when they slow down the pace as on the brooding 'Falling Down.' For the majority it is driven by a smoky body of sound but it does pick up towards the close of the track and brings the piece fittingly to its climax. Awaiting at the tail end of Can't Get Us All, is the labyrinthine 'iContact,' a hulking eight minute beast that twists and burns with guitarist Marcin peeling out some of his best work be it raging or meditative but whatever the contrast chosen the elements seamlessly blend to bring the record to a hypnotic close.

I have to say that Daymares surprised me with their debut and had me coming back and back to get another hit of their soupy mass. What's more impressive is the timeframe it took to construct Can't Get Us All, (less than a year after forming), clearly the band are bursting with ideas and have plenty more avenues to explore and expand upon. I have no doubt that on record number 2, Daymares will be an even filthier proposition.

(Benjamin Deblasi)

feastofhateandfear.com

With the name and the cover art I expected this to be a bit of dark metal or even doom, but I was pleasantly surprised to be completely wrong. Daymares is a hardcore band with a fundamental punk rock fury, and a little ballsy rock-n-roll thrown in. They hold a fast pace, and still keep a mighty groove, while even doing a few guitar solos and hooky riffs throughout. Daymares began just recently in Warsaw, Poland, and upon only the release of a demo were picked up for their debut LP on Polish label Selfmadegod Records. The vocals are almost always doing a gang chant, so you always feel like singing along. I can picture the kids going nuts in a pile of bodies trying to get to the microphone so they can sing with the leads. The music is almost as if they took the dark metallic elements of Tragedy, mixed it with the NYC hardcore power of Cro-Mags, and then fused that with a fast-yet-fun punk rock vibe straight from The Dwarves. "Almost There" gave me goosebumps, as the solo flared. "Falling Down" brought to mind Kingdom of Lost Souls-era Damnation AD. "I Shit You Not" was one big rock routine, with a beatdown breakdown made for the mosh pit. "Cult Leader" was just as good for its lyrical content as it was for its hardcore-punk dynamic. The entire album is over in a little over half an hour, so you - like me - are probably going to hit play over and over again.

hellridemusic.com

This album has slowly taken over my life. I've been listening to this nonstop lately but just haven't got a chance to sit down and pen a review for it. Daymares are from Poland and are a must have for any fans of sludge and crust if you ask me. Daymares take Black Sabbath, Tragedy, Motorhead, Genocide Superstars, Black Flag and Eyehategod and toss them into a blender, leaving the listener with 11 tracks of unrelenting metal that is so catchy and infectious that you won't be able to get enough. This is music to get violently wasted to; so wasted that you are spilling your drinks down your shirt but still banging your head like a maniac and not giving a fuck. These guys never move super fast or anything either. You get some Motorhead-esque, punked-up tempos for sure but a lot of this stuff just sounds lowdown and mean with its dirty, mid-tempo swing.

The almost a title track, "Get us All" is very much in the vein of Genocide Superstars. It walks a fine line between pissed-off crust punk and beer swilling, Motorhead metal and it is always engaging. The riffs simply kill it and the rhythm section works up a good sweat. The vocals are a thick, burly bark that fit with this sound like a well-worn glove. They aren't breaking any boundaries but they are picture perfect for the music. The gang chorus seals the deal for me too; an absolute, shout along classic.

"Almost There" follows suite and continues to show that Daymares' only mission is to beat your ass and keep your head-banging the whole time. This track brings in some awesome sludge groove and surprising singing vocals. The snarling barks lighten up near the end and a great sung vocal enters the mix above the raging rock n' roll swagger. I would actually like to see them explore that route a bit more in the future. Whoever is singing has got a balls-out voice and it compliments the action nicely.

Despite working with a very distinct formula, Daymares aren't afraid to mix things up as much as possible. "Into the Night" still straddles the crust/rock vibe but works in some darker, metallic elements as well. I feel a bit of the death n' roll of vintage Entombed here and there with some of the more directly metallic guitar shredding that "Into the Night" utilizes in large doses.

The band slow the pace a bit with "Falling Down" which is the epitome of that lowdown and mean feel that I was talking about earlier. Much of this track sounds like a doom band playing a Motorhead song at about half of its normal speed. Toward the end of the track we get the first appearance of actual speed as they kick things into overdrive for the finale.

I'm a sucker for this kind of band, I won't lie. I love it when a crust band serves up some twisted rock n' roll for additional flavor and Daymares are literally masters of this sound. The rest of the album weighs in with a few more raging punk tunes; "Suicide Watch", "Key Witness", "Cult Leader" and "The Bigger Lie". All of these tracks drip with venom and feature the speedier side of Daymares. They still have got the rock n' roll influence here but these songs have a lot of punk and Entombed influences pulsating through their veins.

"I Shit you not" starts out with cowbell and shows us another glimpse of their sludge sound. This song has a rollicking, mid-tempo groove that rocks plain and simple. There isn't anything too flashy going on with this song but that is how this band excels. They keep it simple and create songs that are impossible to get out of your head. There's a short little rocked-out lead that works very effectively and the gang vocals make things infectious even though the song itself is heavier than a ton of bricks.

Daymares get expansive with the last track "Contact" as they try their hand at stretching a song over the 8 minute mark. It is kind of a daring gamble on an album of this type as a long-running closer could easily take the wind out of the sails but these guys aren't fucking around. They keep the first half kicked into rock n' roll overdrive as the grooves have a southern-friend inflection to them that sticks to the brain like peanut butter. The second half is a slower, knuckle-dragging doom part that eventually drones out, bringing our journey to a close.

I'm pretty impressed with this disc. Is it going to change your life? Probably not, but that doesn't stop it from being a must-have disc for those into this sort of thing. I have been jamming this one a lot and it stands up to repeat listening without a hitch. Daymares have crafted an excellent, heavy as hell debut that combines sludge, punk and death n' roll into a ticking, time-bomb of catchy, pummeling metal that is well-worth picking up for anyone even remotely into this type of thing. I can't wait for the next one.

scenepointblank.com

unboundzine.com

This one is surprised the hell out of me. Selfmadegod is mainly known for grindcore, but Daymares is something of a combination of death n roll and hardcore punk. Its fast and furious and just heavy enough to appeal to metal fans. While Im not sure exactly who to compare this to, Id say that a mash up of Entombed, Integrity, Discharge and the Loud Pipes wouldnt be a bad description. They have the stomp and guttural vocals similar to Entombed, the heavy hardcore feel of Integrity, the speed of Discharge and the rock mixed with hardcore sound of the Loud Pipes mixed in for good measure. It isnt an incredibly original sound when you get right down to it, but it certainly is an enjoyable listen none the less. There are also a lot of dynamics on display here. There are many slower parts that have a lot of build up and sound similar to Damnation AD but a bit more exciting to my ears. Damnation AD also came across as a bit boring to me, this is a similar style but with more energy. This one was definitely a pleasant surprise. It draws from a lot of different styles but manages to keep everything cohesive and hard hitting. Fans of everything from Cursed to Entombed, to even Motorhead will probably find a lot to like on this album.

metalreview.com

Can't Get Us All is the eleven-song debut album from Warsaw's Daymares. Usually when it comes to Selfmadegod releases, you can expect something raw and gnarly in the hardcore realm and this release is no exception. What we have here is about 35 minutes of music that marries energetic hardcore with frighteningly dirty rock and roll. Coliseum is a good beginning reference point for the Daymares sound, although these Polish practitioners have a lot more rumbling death'n'roll influence, firmly planting the band somewhere between Entombed and Tragedy. The gruff, throaty yells reside on the low side of the spectrum and even have the occasional "melodic" spark for added catchiness, which kind of reminds me a bit of the vocalist from Paintbox. Energy and attitude are plentiful as evidenced by the groovy rock-oriented riffing in opener "Get Us All",  "Almost There" and "As Bad As It Gets." Tracks like "Suicide Watch" and "Key Witness" operate under a more traditional hardcore formula without the rocked out riffing, but they still have a good amount of character. For my money I'll take Coliseum over Daymares, although the heavier, meaner vibe that radiates from these guys makes it a pretty close battle. I wouldn't say Can't Get Us All is a groundbreaking album or anything, but Daymares have great energy and can write a damn solid rock riff while keeping an identity that is at least partially their own. Definitely one of the better Selfmadegod releases of recent memory.

smother.net

Chaotic hardcore punk that’s right out of the Cro-Mags playbook, "Can't Get Us All" will appeal to the old school hardcore crowd as well as those newbies who have re-discovered the scene. Having only been together for a handful of months, Daymares is incredibly impressive. Imagine Damnation AD hooking up with Entombed and Cro-Mags and you've got a feel for Daymares.

poisonfree.com

A really fresh band, which only exists for half a year now, already presents it's debut with this full length record on Polish label Selfmadegod. Daymare play a quite unique style of hardcore and punk meeting deathrock, gimmickless, brutal, raw and rough, and certainly stirring in moments. From midtempo rockers of upbeat tracks, these guys present 11 tracks with great hooklines and nice riffs. While one song certainly focusses on punk („as bad as it gets"), another one tends to rock („falling down"), only to be followed by a more NYC styled, fast hardcore track („suicide watch"). All songs have in common that they are sung by a rough, aggressive voice that shouts out it's guts and fits to this dirty melange of underground music. The production fits quite well to their sound, but is sometimes a bit too rudimentary and dirty, losing some of the energy the band delivers. Anyway, you can not expect the charme of hateful performed rock smashers like „I shit you not", with it's nice hooks and chorus. A tambourine as well as some classic rock and roll hooks and riff underline their love for both hardcore and rock, resulting in a charming connection of both poles. Of course, after just a year you can not expect a milestone, but all in all, this entertains and gives a glimpse at a band that may rock you a bit more serious in the future.

daredevilrecords.de

These four east European guys (hope thats right, the band own homepage is still dormant) joined their forces in 2006 to play everything they loved. In general it's Crust with some others spices and thanks due to the brutal vocals of Pat it gets that filth factor of the likes of ANTISEEN. Right from opener GET US ALL it rumbles like hell, the track comes out dirty and raw and the vocals do their best to make it even more brutal, ALMOST THERE has a catchy melodic chorus, INTO THE NIGHT shows it's Punk roots, groove is unleashed in AS BAD AS IT GETS and FALLING DOWN introduces a bit of ENTOMBED in their Death'N'Roll phase. Aside from a few Hardcore gangstershouts KEY WITNESS also consitsts of some slower CROWBAR segments, and the final iCONTACT spreads a bit of Southern flair along with some atmsopheric sound arrangements (the tribal parts take a bit out of NEUROSIS). Only the production is a bit dull and muffled.

hartboiled.de

Daymares were formed in 2006 but they sound as if they all have a long background in punk or hardcore. They remind me of bands like Genocide SS or Disfear, rough and dirty sounding, think hardcore in the vein of tragedy or From Ashes Rise mixed with entombed death'n'roll. But don't think this is it, they add some more diversity with melodic guitar lines and things like that. The record is actually really nice but I think if they would have waited a year more to write a record they would have written a killer album, so I am anxious to listen to some more refined songs.

lordsofmetal.nl

Daymares is a Polish band that was founded just over a year ago. Four friends decided they wanted to play the music for which they shared a common passion namely: hardcore. After rehearsing very intense for a couple of months they recorded a demo and got signed by Selfmadegod Records. Now doesn't that sound like a dream coming true?

Daymares plays hardcore along the lines of Entombed mixed with some Neurosis and even High On Fire. Sounds like a weird combination? Well it sounds pretty okay and the singer does not have an annoying accent. All in all Daymares are a band to keep our eyes on in the ever expanding, international hardcore-scene.

absolutezeromedia.us

Are you a fan of Sick of it all, Cromags, Older Pro-pain or Leeway then you will worship Daymares. There is a slight Bluesy Punk element going too but more then anything going on here is skull crushing old school hardcore that you would have heard at CBGB, ABC No Rio or Lamours in Brooklyn in the late 80's and early 90 every day of the week. Its good strong and catchy sing along stuff.  The break downs are massive here and work so well with the barking vocal style going on. At time it think they almost have members of Cromags, Sick of it all how the tones of the guitars are so bloody similar.  If you like what I'm spewing then check this prime piece of music out.

theplaylist.net

Daymares had the uncanny ability to create a name that fits in perfectly with the style of music they play. Their music has the potential to haunt people at any point in a 24 hour span. They play inspired crusty hardcore punk rock. Their sound paints a picture of a sweaty basement or D.I.Y. hall with kids going nuts at every moment, a true spirit of punk rock.

The music has a layer of dirtiness surrounding each note. They bring to mind bands like Tragedy and His Hero is Gone, but without the super fast drum beat (its there, but it doesn't dominate the tempos). The riffs, while very hardcore, have a rock and roll style to them (check out "As Bad as it Gets"), which reminds me a bit of Bars. They also can play some killer breakdowns when needed ("Suicide Watch"), giving them a little something for everybody.

Daymares play a style of punk that most fans can enjoy. Can't Get Us All is a perfect soundtrack to a basement, with Daymares sounding as D.I.Y. as can be.