ALBUM REVIEW: Tainted Blood – Daze Of June

Copenhagen’s DAZE OF JUNE have been quietly making a name for themselves for five years now. Starting out as ARCHIVES OF ALASKA in 2016, they rebranded into their current form on their 2018 debut full-length, Heart Of Silver. That record bore all the hallmarks of a solid modern metalcore release, and was well-received by fans and critics alike. Its aftermath saw them tour with respected names from across the scene, including CABAL and THY ART IS MURDER.

Now, with those experiences under their belt, they’re back with a follow-up, entitled Tainted Blood. This time around, the band sought to take things to “a darker place,” exploring themes like mental illness and suicide. The result is a more mature offering than its predecessor, and one the band describe as “more personal.”

With their sights set on metalcore glory, DAZE OF JUNE enlisted the help of renowned producer Henrik Udd for Tainted Blood. Known for his work with ARCHITECTS and BRING ME THE HORIZON, Udd is a perfect fit for this record. In his hands, every song on the album feels absolutely massive. The guitars, bass and drums are all crisp, clear and crushing. On top of them, synths and electronics add textures and atmosphere to give the record a truly expansive feel. Perhaps the biggest stand out of all however are the vocals of frontman Benjamin Julian Ganzhorn. These are produced to perfection, allowing Ganzhorn to show off his powerful cleans and fiercer screams with ease.

DAZE OF JUNE waste no time in reminding listeners of the metalcore credentials they proved on their previous record. Opener New Beginnings ticks all the right boxes when it comes to the genre. Its verses are high-octane and raging, while its choruses and clean vocal sections are gigantic and catchy. Second track Four Knives is similarly solid. With warm synths and more huge melodies, it wouldn’t sound out of place on BMTH‘s Sempiternal. It also exhibits a savagery reminiscent of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA at points. Both those comparisons are definitely a good thing for a band like DAZE OF JUNE, and neither feel like a huge stretch.

New Beginnings and Four Knives provide an energetic opening, but it’s the tracks which follow them that make for the record’s best. Third track Hypnos features guest vocals from Courtney LaPlante of fellow metalcore rising stars SPIRITBOX, and it’s an absolute rager. LaPlante‘s cleans add a floaty, ethereal quality, while her harsher stylings slot in nicely with the band’s heavier side. Ganzhorn delivers too, playing off LaPlante to mesmerising effect. Fourth track Son is another highlight. Again, it’s impossible not to hear shades of BMTH here, and it features more impressive cleans from Ganzhorn especially.

It has to be said that the album levels out a bit after this. Every track so far has been a pretty faultless metalcore offering, but it does start to feel a touch repetitive. For example, almost every song starts with something quiet and electronic before kicking into the usual crushing fare. This may be a tried and tested formula, but a little variation would definitely have been welcome. Songs like Nyx and Refuse The Light still hold up fine, but neither bring anything particularly new to the table.

At the end of the day, all this is unlikely to be a problem for many. Firstly, every song on Tainted Blood is still sure to incite some pretty serious moshpit violence in a live setting. Most also offer at least one big sing-along hook – something else which is sure to go down well live. Plus, there are plenty of other modern metalcore bands you could accuse of falling into a similar trap who still get a lot of love.

One of DAZE OF JUNE‘s intentions on Tainted Blood was to let their “aggressive side” take centre stage. This is pretty clear throughout, but especially on the album’s seventh track Hiroshima. This one features guest vocals from Keisuke Numata, and even veers towards deathcore at points. It still features another memorable chorus hook, but the added savagery provides the album with a boost before the band find themselves on the home straight with Black-Eyed and Birth Of Memories. These two are pretty much business as usual for DAZE OF JUNE, but they round out the record nicely nonetheless.

Overall, there isn’t much to complain about on Tainted Blood at all. Sure, its doesn’t exactly break the mould, but you definitely couldn’t accuse it of being bland. The songs are cohesive and well-crafted, the production is excellent, and the performances are all solid. Whether DAZE OF JUNE will hit the highest heights of the modern metalcore scene with this record remains to be seen. One thing Tainted Blood does suggest however is that they could have a serious shot in the years to come.

Rating: 8/10

Tainted Blood is set for release on February 19th via Prime Collective.

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