As they are an unsigned band, I'd like to credit A Day to Fall with a few things right off the bat. First, they offered a full length album without the benefit of label support or a large studio. Dying Day doesn't sound spectacular, but with so many new and often established metalcore bands lazily offering “promising” four song EPs, its nice to see a band with such little financial support go beyond what has become a frustrating scene-norm. Secondly, they've managed to produce something of artistic merit in the soul-draining wasteland of Clovis, New Mexico. In my limited experience, the High Plains region might be the grayest, most desperate location in the United States, and one probably not too kind to those with artistic aspirations. Finally, Dying Day is at least a release that culls its influence from a time when metalcore was more about efficient riff-writing and raw energy than self indulgence and irony.

A Day to Fall play a riff-driven brand of metalcore that strives to be epic and expansive. Unfortunately, while their riff writing for the most part is lean and forceful, their aspirations lead them to over-encumber these songs with simply too many similar sounding riffs. When coupled with their adequate but very flat production, their abundance of slightly spent riffs begin to wear thin earlier than they should.

Another aspect A Day to Fall add to their sound to broaden the scope of their songs is keyboards, which fit more appropriately into the album's mix than I would have imagined given the band's budget. It also pushes the band into the territory of some late 90s Gothenburg acts like Gardenian and The Gates of Ishtar who condensed At the Gates type riffing into denser slabs of metal and adorned it with subtle atmospheric touches. If that's the sound A Day to Fall is striving for, they nailed it on "Too Far Gone", which is a concise, fast, and well round rounded assault that rises above all the band's limitations and truly shines. However, this focus is mostly absent elsewhere, and allows the band to wander into slightly sense-numbing territory. Songs like "Last Breath" and "Dying Day" are stapled with riffs that don't really add much to the songs aside from running time.

I honestly love how unpretentious and dedicated this band sounds to making their style of music. Despite it's failings and poor execution, at least this band sounds like they care about what they are creating. There isn't a touch or irony or histrionics here: This is just a band trying to get by on the strength of their riffs. I can appreciate that, and as a reviewer I can even enjoy a good part of this. However, it takes more than just intent to make a good album. Good bands find a way to take their ideas and organize them in a way that works for 40 minutes, A Day to Fall are just tossing those ideas together to far often for Dying Day to really work.