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Day Six: The Grand Design
Day Six The Grand Design new music review

Day Six: The Grand Design

Progressive Metal
Rating: 4.75/5.0

Lion Music
www.myspace.com/daysixweb
www.day-six.com
Review: Craig Hartranft,  05.31.2010

Our friends at Lion Music have stumbled upon another fine progressive metal band in the Netherlands' Day Six. Their debut work, The Grand Design is elemental progressive metal that spans decades, echoing their predecessors and peers like Pink Floyd, Rush, Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater and Opeth. The general sense of the music is epic, complex, and highly entertaining, and even more intriguing when you discover it's being done by only four players. The Grand Design is a concept album about a group of scientists who discover evidence of an alien visitation in Antarctica, but are sequestered away in mental institutions to prevent them disclosing the news. The government attempts to 'erase' their memories however, by communicating telepathically with each other and the aliens hoping to get the truth out.

The nine-minute opener, Massive Glacial Wall, speaks to the depth and ingenuity of the total work with its captivating movements. Remembering that this is also 'metal,' The Grand Design bellows at times with heavy riffs and movements as on Lost Identity, Fergus Falls, and Inside. Yet, a song like Fergus Falls offers more subtle occasions of progressive rock. Across nearly all tracks there is a seminal foundation of musical fusion were rock, metal, and jazz notes flow freely. You can pick them up clearly within Inside and Age of Technology. Further, Day Six will eerily echo Pink Floyd, though heavier, at times with more wistful guitar work over a traditional keyboard track: listen for it on both Age of Technology and 7th Sign.

Fundamentally, however, The Grand Design is epic, nearly symphonic, and engrossing as Massive Glacial Wall, 7th Sign, and longest track Inside prove. This characteristic may prove challenging for the listener simply because there is so much going on within every song (excepting possibly A Soul's Documentary). Specifically, at over 16 minutes, Inside may provoke your patience and listening skills. Very few prog metal bands can pull off such a mammoth track (like a Dream Theater can). Inside may be a case where too much of a good thing is more overwhelming than intriguing.

Nevertheless, Day Six's The Grand Design is debut on the order of greatness. Combining traditional elements of progressive metal with a modern sensibility Day Six offers song which are epic, complex, and quite entertaining. Strongly recommended.

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In Short

Nevertheless, Day Six's The Grand Design is debut on the order of greatness. Combining traditional elements of progressive metal with a modern sensibility Day Six offers songs which are epic, complex, and quite entertaining.

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