Review Summary: Hell, yeah!!
In ten years people will talk on this album as they talk today about Converge's
Jane Doe. Probably in less time bands will be ripping them off as they rip off The Dillinger Escape Plan or Botch. Daughters will have a cult following, and when you heard some band sounding like them, you will say:
Mmm...they sound like Daughters. Don't you know them?. This album is so groundbreaking to my ears.
Noisy, heavy, unique, interesting, exciting, with a well defined personality,
Daughters is the kind of album you do not know what to make of on first listen, and yet you are intrigued and keep listening. For several times. Labels as grind, mathcore, noise rock, experimental are inaccurate. It may sound familiar, some parallels could be drawn, but in the end what you hear sounds new. They do not sound like anything else. One rarely has the chance to hear something that has not been done before. Were not for The Smashing Pumpkins, My Bloody's Valentine's
Loveless would have entirely disconcerted more people that it did. When The Dillinger Escape Plan released
Calculating Infinity people did not know what they were hearing; it was mind-blowing to some, utter garbage to others. The same thing probably will happen to
Daughters.
From the instant "The Virgin" starts, you are welcome to a new kind of noise barrage that will define the entire album. Guitars sounding like they were melting underwater through a microphone, strange noises like steel sparkles assaulting your ears raising the cacophony to new exciting levels, with an unmistakable vocal performance rounding the piece, all create a distinctive noise aesthetic, which sets itself apart from anything else. It is the musical equivalent to a war ambush; it is not fair game. It is not the heaviest thing you will hear or the most technical, but rarely such a massive noise can be fun and enjoyable, while intriguing and creative at the same time. Yes, the album is maniacal
and friendly, in a way it is virtually irresistible. It reminds you rock is indeed alive, urgent and chaotic, and in its particular way it celebrates life. No time for reflection or contemplation: "we are here,
right now. Live!”
Daugherts tries to emulate the effect of a Red Bull. Its particular amalgam of metal, punk, industrial and noise is energy-injecting, and is effective throughout its 28 minutes. Naturally, the album has a overall similar tone, but that is not to say there is no variation and it all blends together. Every song is recognizable, even if based on the same basic principles. Daughters know how to use their musical assets to get the maximum benefits, resulting in a truly excellent album that is far from linear and predictable; it is crushing with a sense of groove. Clearly, there is a novelty factor in here working against the album. It does not matter. Even if at some point its impact wears off, you still will have great devastating songs that are ultimately fun to listen to.
If you are tired of hearing variations of the same thing, it will not hurt giving this a chance. Daughters are doing something really refreshing and exciting, a sound from which future bands could summon some inspiration.
5/5
