Labels: Big Scary Monsters Records
Review by: Kunal Nandi
In the flesh, Chariots are without a doubt one of the best bands around. Your preconceptions of four unassuming English kids are quite comprehensively smashed to smithereens the second they explode in time with the music. The harsh environment of recorded music means that that same energy has to translate to sterile digital blips and code, and “Daybreak” just about does it. Loud, harsh and unremitting, this is music to really flail about to. Chariots come blasting out with their combination of emo, hardcore and metal, but don’t really answer the age-old question of where you go once you’ve started at full throttle. There can be a samey feel to some of these songs, with a little more in the way of dynamics not going amiss, although the awesome breakdowns “” the grind attack at the end of “Screwtape”, the Botch-y about-turns during “Friends Forever” “” counteract this nicely. I don’t mean to be damning this with faint praise, as this really is a fine album that will hopefully enable them to play in your neck of the woods “” truly a sight for sore eyes.