A DAY TO REMEMBER – taking over the world with 'HOMESICK'
A DAY TO REMEMBER – taking over the world with 'HOMESICK'
Written by Sarah Mudgway   
Friday, 17 April 2009 09:51
a day to remember - homesick When
A DAY TO REMEMBER
vocalist Jeremy McKinnon
sang the battle cry
“mark my words, we’re taking over the world”
in ‘A Shot In The Dark'
from their 2007 breakout release
'For Those Who Have Heart'...
I’m unsure if he, or anyone for that matter,
truly realized how prophetic that statement would turn out to be.
Fast forward to 2009, Ocala, Florida... The five-piece are sitting pretty with their third, and latest release 'Homesick'. The album kicks off with an explosive opener – ‘The Downfall Of Us All’ - which appears to set the lyrical and musical tone for the rest of the album. With McKinnon screaming, “now go tell them we sold out, like we're the ones who changed… You can't buy sincerity”... the passion beneath the seemingly flawless changes between pop punk singing and hardcore-verging-on-metal screams is obvious. One can’t help but feel a slight sense of ‘every silver lining also has its cloud’. They warned us that they were going to take over the world, but perhaps someone should have warned them the consequences of doing so.

As McKinnon growls, “watch your back, you’ll lose yourself… this is a battleground” in second track ‘My Life For Hire’, one can’t help but wonder which individual, or group, these lyrics are warning, or if it’s a analogy for the music industry and a note to self. Without hesitation, A Day To Remember have provided an album full of emotion, giving an honest inside view into a band which has been on what appears to be an endless cycle of tours since 'From Those Who Have Heart'.

Before I go any further, I’m going to put this out there. Upon my first listen of 'Homesick', I was slightly disappointed. ADTR have been at the top of my playlists for almost two years, and my expectations for this release were HIGH. In comparison to songs such as ‘The Danger In Starting A Fire’ and ‘The Plot To Bomb The Panhandle’, I initially felt like 'Homesick' was missing something. Upon my second, third… and whatever number listen I am up to now, I’m glad I gave it another chance. While I never did manage to put my finger on what element appeared to be missing, I instead uncovered a polished and potentially epic album with many layers, and it has been on repeat ever since.

With 'Homesick', ADTR have again proven just how well melodic pop-punk hooks can be intertwined with metal and hardcore, not only in song but also in album. It’s amazing just how well melodic tracks such as ‘Have Faith In Me’ and ‘NJ Legion Iced Tea’ gel with the more brutal side of 'Homesick' like ‘I’m Made Of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?’ (featuring The Devil Wears Prada's (TDWP) Mike Hranica). With 'Homesick', ADTR have taken their signature sound and taken it to both extremes... and it works, well.

As well as guest vocals from Hranica (TDWP), ‘Welcome To The Family’ features vocals from Vincent Bennett of The Acacia Strain, and ‘If It Means A Lot To You’ features Sierra Kusterbeck of upcoming band VersaEmerge. For those listeners who don’t appreciate the growls and harder aspect of ADTR, I strongly recommend a listen to ‘If It Means A Lot To You’ – the final track on the album which seems to be an emotional and heartfelt conversation between ADTR and their loved ones at home - “if you can wait until I get home, I swear we can make this last”.

Their name may be A Day To Remember, but this band have had a few years worth remembering, and 'Homesick'' will only add to their ever increasing fan base. Currently on tour with The Devil Wears Prada before heading straight onto Warped Tour, A Day To Remember may be writing songs about being homesick and selling their souls to the open road, but looks like the open road isn’t all that bad after all.
A DAY TO REMEMBER's 'HOMESICK' is in-stores now.
 

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