Review: “Overpower” by Any Given Day

Hailing from Gelsenkirchen Germany are a Metalcore quintet who rose to the World’s attention with single “Arise” in 2016, a track that features a guest appearance from Matt Heafy of Trivium. Three years on and it’s time for Any Given Day to release their third studio album and follow up “Overpower” via Arising Empire.

From the start of “Start Over” it’s clear that Any Given Day are an early 2000’s Metalcore fans dream. Dennis Diehl’s clean vocals have more than a hint of similarity to Howard Jones of Light The Torch and formerly Killswitch Engage and Devil You Know. The lyrics hint of past troubles and wanting to start over with a big chorus and some fist pumping moments. “Loveless” gets out of the gate with some heavier riffage from axe wielding duo Andy Posdziech and Dennis ter Schmitten with some decent uncleans with an almost but not quite rap scream that bursts into those big cleans for the chorus. The title of the track is the clue to the lyrical themes but the music is full of bounce, energy and some decent Metalcore breakdowns. “Savior” opens the vocals with a huge scream and some driven guitars. If it was on “The End of Heartache” then it wouldn’t be a surprise, such is the quality and obvious influence. There is even a drop to an almost spoken word sung line that is a classic Howard Jones moment. The glory of the tune is that for the melodic parts there are heavier parts in equal measure.

“Taking Over Me” has a hint of Slipknot about it with some buried electronics or turntable action at the bottom of the mix that is replaced by some lead guitar flourishes during the chorus. The uncleans are darker and deeper showcasing greater range while the cleans give the song a sense of gravity, returning the band to more of their core sound. Raphael Altmann puts in a powerhouse kit performance on “Lonewolf”, one of the pre-release singles that may have surprised a few with its bold clean vocals and buried electronics. In the context of the album, having had a heavier tune before hand, it acts as something of a palette cleanser. It is one that grows on you with repeated spins but on first listen may drag. “Devil Inside” brings back the heavier sound of the earlier material with the bands bouncy and energetic riffs and some big bass sounds from Michael Golinski. One of the things that is leveled against the Metalcore sound is that the switch from unclean to clean vocals for the choruses can cause a slow down in the flow and energy of a song. While that isn’t an issue for most of the album, it is on this cut. The heavier parts are so well out together, that throwing in the melodic ones seems exactly that. “Sure To Fail” has a familiar start that this reviewer can’t place at the time of writing. The song itself is more of the same, a mid-album cut that lacks a point of difference to many of the other tunes. In isolation it gives you a good feel for the album but on the album itself it sounds a bit flat.

Starting off with some killer bast beats and a gutteral roar “In Deafening Silence” then falls into Metalcore leads before stepping back into that pile driver of an opening sound for the verse. Rhythm guitarist Dennis ter Schmitten gets the opportunity to open his lungs with a guest vocal appearance of such quality that it is a surprise they don’t use it more often. The face melting solo from Andy Posdziech is a fine touch. After a gang chant styled introduction “Whatever It Takes” bursts into some hardcore inspired riffage with a spoken word verse that gives the extra lyrics more space in the mix of the energetic guitars. Dropping things down a gear, “Fear” starts slow but when the game kick in for the chorus it works really well. A brighter and more melodic track, there are just a handful of unclean vocal growls in the final flourish of the track that probably make it a decent radio Metal song. A cheesy spoken word rap brings in “Never Surrender” and is sadly repeated during a song that would be better off without it. The sentiment of the lyric is spot on but the delivery ends up letting it down dramatically, which is a shame, because the rest of the song holds up really well.

The band have mellowed since their debut “My Longest Way Home” and went with a more polished sound with sophomore album “Everlasting”. The DJent inspired elements that were present on the likes of “Masquerade” are now gone with the band choosing a style that sits between the melodic and the heavy in more equal measure. In some places it works really well, in others it is a bit flat. Overall, a solid effort from a decent band that shows plenty of excellent musicianship but is let down by the need to return to those clean vocals, which while are excellent are not always needed. [6/10]

Track listing

1. Start Over
2. Loveless
3. Savior
4. Taking Over Me
5. Lonewolf
6. Devil Inside
7. Sure To Fail
8. In Deafening Silence
9. Whatever It Takes
10. Fear
11. Never Surrender

“Overpower” by Any Given Day is out now via Arising Empire