Day of the Dead – A New Healing Process / 2006 State of Mind / 12 Tracks / http://www.dayofthedeadhc.com / http://www.stateofmindrecordings.com / Reviewed 05 September 2006

All of the bands on State of Mind shock me. Where I would have expected something that is much more in the hardcore vein of things with Day of the Dead’s opening to “A New Healing Process”, it seems almost as if the band has foregone hardcore for a blend of punk and metal during “Forever Is Today”. While “Forever Is Today” is longer than most of the rest of the tracks on “A New Healing Process”, it allows the band to show listeners what is to be expected for the future and do it in a way that all questions can be answered. The title track brings a little more thrash to the mix, and while the vocals do not approach those of acts like Raised Fist, they fit in with the splashy drums and guitar lines well. The differing vocal styles that come out during this track further shows their ability as a band.

The disc is recorded properly, with everything redlining without causing distortion or unnecessarily drowning out any other part of the band. “A New Healing Process” throws twelve tracks at the listener but the band is packing up well before the disc ever gets to the thirty minute mark. However, the compositions on “a New Healing Process” will stick with listeners well after the disc is done due to the inspired interplay between the guitar and drums that is best shown during tracks like “One More Cross To Bear”. Where most hardcore acts could give less of a shit about their punk audiences, Day of the Dead keeps the punks interested by going back to the sound of bands like D.R.I.. What results is not anything that sounds like Sum 41, but rather is a hard-edge bit of rock that touches on both metal and punk.

“Choke On Your Own Tongue” allows the band to further shine as it is the first track that their modifications to accepted time signatures are really shown. The ability of Day of the Dead to stop on a dime and hit listeners with a style that has little if anything to do with what they were playing is something few bands can do successfully. Day of the Dead is an act that has the ability to craft what they do on “A New Healing Process” into a completely new genre; the band can craft album after album without modifying their bottom line and individuals will still be hooked.

Top Tracks: Choke On Your Own Tongue, One More Cross To Bear

Rating: 7.0/10

[JMcQ]