Review Summary: After a three year hiatus and returning with a seven member lineup, Haste the Day's return from Valhalla should've been better.
2015 has become the year of reunions. Haste the Day is just one of the many different bands that have been reuniting within the past year and of course many people were excited to see what was next in store. Originally one of the more popular frontrunners of modern Christian metal, Haste the Day’s previous album
Attack of the Wolf King delivered an incredibly solid effort that showed a band at the top of their game. Now after a three year hiatus and returning with a seven-member lineup as well as a whopping $140,000 budget, it seems that Haste the Day were about to come back full force with
Coward. Or at least that’s what they want you to think, because not only is
Coward a step backwards for the band, but it’s one of the most disappointing releases of the year.
There are two things that
Coward lacks completely; variety and substance. With three vocalists at the helm, it would seem as though they would play equal roles in the overall product. However, clean vocalist Brennan Chaulk is practically left in the dust throughout most of the album while Jimmy Ryan and Stephen Keech almost completely take the spotlight. Now by all means, both do a great job. Jimmy Ryan’s ability to channel Converge’s Jacob Bannon (and perhaps a hint of Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan) on ‘Take’ and ‘Fail’ is fantastic while Keech delivers a more melodic style on ‘World’ and the title track. But there are times where the vocal styles are misplaced, such as on ‘Accept’ where the more aggressive style is mixed with a melodic tone. It feels emotionless and it ends up being an empty listen. The vocal work suffers from this and the overall transition from the heavier aggression from Ryan to the melodic clean vocals from Chaulk feels awkward. The production also suffers as it feels nothing more than typical cookie-cutter metalcore that we’ve heard before.
That being said, what Haste the Day does right in
Coward is fantastic. The overall instrumentation is solid throughout the album as the guitar melodies, while certainly not as strong as they were in
Attack of the Wolf King, are still written well and memorable. It’s catchy and clean cut with the guitars bringing an energetic feel while the drums deliver a well performed melodic rhythm. ‘World’ and the title track are great examples of when the vocal melodies work in favor of what the band is trying to accomplish when using both vocalists main vocal styles, making them the best songs on the album. Ryan and Chailk’s vocal performances are great on both songs as the transitions between the two vocalists work. And while ‘Begin’ suffers from pacing problems with its chorus, it’s a great way to energize the listener, while its overall aggressive tone is continued into ‘Take’. The overall hooks of the heavier moments on
Coward will certainly gain the attention of those familiar with Haste the Day’s earlier records, even if the mixing with the melodic moments feel off.
While
Coward will most likely win over earlier fans, a few serious flaws result in Haste the Day wasting any potential on here. There are some great songs, but none of them completely make up for the awkward vocal mixing, the flat production, and the weaker melodic lines. It’s understandable that Haste the Day would want to deliver an epic comeback after their break-up, and the overall ideas that
Coward certainly set up for that, but they need to create a stronger sense of what they plan on doing in the near future. Here’s hoping that they will next time.
