Damnations Day
Invisible, The Dead

November 2013
Released: 2013, Nightmare Records
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: Waspman

There are plenty of metal bands that call Australia home, going all the way back to Buffalo and AC/DC. Today we have bands like Dragonsclaw and Teramaze leading the metal charge from Down Under. Right in that pack we have newcomers Damnations Day, and their debut release INVISIBLE, THE DEAD. In their bio the band boasts a wide array of influences, some metal, some not, which immediately sent up red flags for me. Fortunately, one listen to the album convinced me that these guys are for real and more – these guys are fantastic!



It’s actually tough to assign a defining sound or genre to the band. Undoubtedly metal, their sound is a heady amalgam of power metal, traditional metal, progressive metal, and a touch of hard rock. On top of it all are irresistible melodies delivered by an excellent vocalist in Mark Kennedy. His soaring vocals are matched by equally powerful songs that pack both a sonic wallop, and an emotional one. In particular, the ballads “A Ghost in Me”, and “A World to Come” are haunting – two of the best ballads I’ve heard in a long while.



Make no mistake however; Damnations Day is about much more than ballads. Tracks like “The Meaning” and “The Reaper” are almost thrashy at times in their aggression, again topped by Kennedy’s commanding vocals. No question, there is much to enjoy and discover over the course of the album’s somewhat short 37 minutes.



I’m struggling to find flaw with this release, and I really can’t do it. Even the less memorable songs (“Reflections”, “Carried Above the Sun”) are good, even if they don’t match the peaks of the rest of the album, but that’s the worst I can come up with. This is one hell of a debut, and I cannot wait to hear where Damnations Day goes to next.