Style: Modern Prog Metal/ Prog Rock (Clean vocals)
Review by: Mathis
Country: New Zealand
Release date: 15 October, 2021
I am back for my third review, and this time I’m not reviewing an extravagant concept album from Germany. That doesn’t make this band any less spectacular though! New Zealand has gifted us Claemus! They just released their debut album Daydream, and they make running with the pros look easy.
Daydream is a eulogy to the prog metal era circa 2013. A throwback to the good times before the great progressive metalcore wave. Claemus have created a nostalgic album that resembles styles from bands like The Contortionist, Skyharbor, and Dead Letter Circus. The best part is it doesn’t feel forced at all, they may not have even noticed the similarities themselves! Somehow they managed to adopt all of the best elements from each of these bands and mix them all up to make a stellar and familiar style.
You will soon learn from reading my reviews that I am not a fan of introductory tracks. They just seem boring, and usually can be replaced or thrown out all together. However, unlike most other introductory songs, “Lucid” works. It works because it’s interesting and flows perfectly into the second track. “Lucid” lures you in with a soft synth melody that slowly adds on layers, giving it a sense of progression and depth. Then right as the curiosity wells up nearing the end of the track “Aspire” opens with a catchy riff that acts as the final layer of the intro, and the first layer of “Aspire”. When I first listened to the album I was driving, so I was unaware that I had just heard two tracks. It flowed together so seamlessly I thought it was just one song, with an epic synth/electronic intro. It isn’t just these two tracks either, the whole album is perfectly fluid.
When I was listening to Daydream I couldn’t pinpoint what was familiar about Claemus’ sound, that is until I heard “Recovery”. The vocals sound incredibly similar to Daniel Thompkins (Tesseract, ex – Skyharbor), smooth and effortless like his current style, but they also have a hint of raspiness too. The way the vocals in Daydream transition from standard range to falsetto also reminds me of Dead Letter Circus’ Kim Benzie. The vocals aren’t the only familiar part of “Recovery” though, the ambient soundscapes mixed with the occasional heavy riff creates an atmosphere that resembles Skyharbor as well.
The nostalgia just keeps flowing with the song “Kinesis”. This time the inspiration comes from The Contortionist, more specifically “Language I: Intuition”. Both songs open up with that “plinky plonky” staccato picking with a lot of reverb, producing a lingering ambient, twinkly kind of riff. While “Kinesis” is a little heavier than most of the other songs, I still wouldn’t even describe it as a heavy song. Despite this there is still a good deal of contrast in this track with the gentle opening, the djenty interior, and a layered lullaby vocal outro very reminiscent of Dead Letter Circus.
If you surf you are likely familiar with a double up, this is when two waves merge. Daydream is like double up after double up, each song merges into the next and you find yourself riding a wave longer than expected but it just happens so smoothly that you can’t help but enjoy yourself. Sometimes I find that interludes can be a waste of time if not done properly, but Claemus knows how to turn these individual songs into a masterpiece by merging it into another beautiful song. There are only six full songs on the album, which can easily be half of a full length release, but the album doesn’t feel short at all. It’s the perfect length to keep you intrigued, without being exhausting, or leaving you wanting more.
There is only one downside to Daydream, it isn’t incredibly innovative. I normally prefer something more unique, but this album is so undeniably amazing that it isn’t a big issue for me. My concern here is that they may only gain so much popularity if they dont push the boundaries a little more. I fear they will have a fate similar to a band called Circles. Everything is done right, but there are no major distinguishing features. It’s only their debut album, so I don’t think it is necessary to take risks yet anyways. Claemus have done a great job with Daydream and I am excited for more, even if it isn’t anything groundbreaking.
Recommended tracks: Kinesis, Epilogue, Daydream
Recommended for fans of: Skyharbor, Dead Letter Circus, The Contortionist
You may also like: First Signs Of Frost, Circles
Final verdict: 8/10
Related links: Spotify | Official Website | Youtube | Facebook | Bandcamp
Label: Independent
Claemus is:
– Taylor Hemson (Vocals, Guitars)
– Dan Hayston (Guitars, Synths, Backing Vocals)
– Kerry Mitchell (Bass, Synths, Backing Vocals)
– Kit Jenkins (Drums, Gang Vocals)
0 Comments