Dear Black Diary
Self Titled
6.3
Year of the Sun appears to only sign bands with terrible names – Farewell to Freeway (now on Victory), The Dupes, For the Mathematics, What’s He Building in There?, among others. Despite their handle, Canada’s Dear Black Diary play a convincing form of chaoscore that has hints of death and grind for good measure. The problem is that this self-titled effort is a 16-minute trip down memory lane, and as a result, merits a passing glance rather than a full look.
DBD aren’t bad, however. A composition such as “Life Is the Number One Cause of Death” does a good job conveying Botch/Converge/Dillinger-like complexity with metalcore grooves that, at 2:05, relent in favor of overriding melodic leads, though Shortt’s raspy screams continue to sound off. “Floating Face Down” is essentially a two-minute repeat of the first half of “Life…,” while “Elitist Waste of Skin” is more death metal in nature due to the cascading riffs found therein, which the low-pitch growls further perpetuate. It’s also noticeably slower than its brethren. “Abortion Birth Control” is similar to “Floating Face Down” – in length and style – though closer “A Variation of the Colour Red” experiments with both, as well as ambient keyboards and piano. Again, the riffs simply resemble death metal more than other subgenres, and there’s an abrasive, grind vibe to certain parts that is also hard to shake.
Aside from the negatives, this will rub you the right way if you’re into subgenre blending with a penchant for chaotic passages. Dear Black Diary don’t improve on anything here, and some tunes mirror one another, but as it is, Self-Titled is an okay effort that displays promise. Only the diehard need apply, though.
