Will Haven's Carpe Diem is a towering achievement. In an age when even the lamest nu-metal band sounds like the devil stubbing his toe in the...... more
Will Haven's Carpe Diem is a towering achievement. In an age when even the lamest nu-metal band sounds like the devil stubbing his toe in the depths of hell, the true yardstick of quality isn't anger or aggression, but precision. Sacramento four piece
Will Haven, who've toured with the Deftones and Limp Bizkit and been feted by Slipknot, know exactly how to turn a whisper into scream. Drawing on a set of influences that stretch beyond metal into the taut dynamics of hardcore, Carpe Diem is a punishing yet exhilarating journey into the heart of noise. Simple melodies are set aside for grooves and riffs with a lurching elasticity, while singer Grady Avenell throws up his own larynx in the quest for catharsis. "Saga" and "Alpha Man" are perfectly realised examples of post nu-metal hardcore, and "Bats" even drifts in a brief moment of Labradford-style post-rock before leaping back into the fray. This willingness to experiment may rob the band of real mass appeal but, like System of a Down,
Will Haven take rock into exciting new realms. --Ian Watson
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