Haste The Day's new CD falls into the more melodic side of metalcore. New vocalist Stephen Keech has a vocal range similar to All That Remains' Phil Labonte which can range from a melodic harmony to a death metal growl. Musically, the band is less brutal than ATR and a closer point of comparison may be Midtown. Guitarist Jason Barnes was quoted as saying "We wanted melodies influenced by bands like AC/DC and Def Leppard rather than the bands we’ve toured with." There are a lot of strong songs on this CD and it has held up to repeated listenings.

The band doesn't stray much from its core melodic hardcore sound with the exception of the tracks Janet's Planet and Chorus of Angels. The later is an epic track that includes portions of Eye of the Needle (the first track on the disc). This track ties all the songs on the disc together and serves as a perfect closer. On the melodic side, my favorite tracks are Stitches (probably the best track on the disc) and The Minor Prophets. Both feature strong vocals and 'exploding' choruses.

Haste the Day are co-headlining a show with From Autumn to Ashes this Friday night (April 20th) at Iring Plaza with supporting bands Alesana, Twelve Gauge Valentine and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster. Tickets are still available and are only $15.75.

Links:
Haste The Day MySpace page (link)