Nothing comes off as more frustrating as a band that tries so desperately hard with their music and everything they do feels like its nothing original. Thus is the experience with THE DAISY ANTHESIS (oh yeah, that is the name of their band) and their debut album “Surface And The Sky”. It’s your generic Deathcore album seemingly spiced with technical Jazz worship here and there for uniqueness that comes off as a band arrogant in their ways without having anything truly to be arrogant about.

Perhaps that last line was a bit harsh, the fact that they have recorded and written an album is enough to be proud of and I’m sure the that the crowd that loves BRING ME THE HORIZON will find much to love about this release, but as a person that occasionally dabbles in the genre even I found this release to be completely run of the mill. Has this been done before? Yes. Has it been better? Yes.

THE DAISY ANTHESIS takes your average Deathcore ideology, combining elements of Death Metal with its guttural vocals and blast beats and that of Metalcore using more shout like parts to compliment the roars and structuring songs with riff heavy Hardcore influenced spats, and generally throws in Jazz technicality into it. Sounds like it would work to me, but the technicality is randomly just pushed into the structure and the band loves to feed the ADD nation with its attempts to kill logical progression in their music. Its like riding in a car that randomly slams the gas and slams the brake no matter what pedal you are pushing. Although that might be fun for some people, it just comes off as irritating here for this reviewer.

Once again, there is sure to be an audience for this album out there, but its not here. Just a few months ago I reviewed an album by RINGS OF SATURN that does the same concept as this band does but 20 times better. “Surface And The Sky” just isn’t as original as it tries to be and it comes off as a rather irritating release that tries far too hard and does nothing with it.

(Online October 29, 2010)