Sanctuary: (n) refuge or safety from pursuit, persecution, or other danger.
What happens when your refuge is no longer safe? When your slice of Heaven becomes riddled with imps and sprites determined to drag you into damnation? Metal quartet Daybreaker show us how easily our place of safety can crumble around us with their sophomore EP; Sanctuary.
Formed in 2015; Mark Millard (guitar), Lynden Garrad (bass), and Tom Davenport (drums) recruited Dan Donavan (vocals) for seven songs of hard hitting groove metal fused with elements of hardcore and adrenaline inducing vocals.
Committing a cardinal sin for many, ‘Enter Salvation’ hosts children enjoying life to the tune of fairground music. Though we’re instantly on edge from that innocent yet creepy laughter, nothing prepares us for the slam of metal on metal. Coming to in the middle of a flaming apocalypse, Daybreaker stands over us taking on the form of ‘The Redeemer’.
‘The Redeemer’ is intimidating at best. Groove laced riffs drip feed us licks of flames snapping at our ankles. Donavan’s “spitting in the faces of hollow gods” is raspier than intended but this makes for a more formidable character. “The Redeemer” is a relentless onslaught of aggression which even the interlude provides no reprieve from.
Sanctuary descends into a terrifying experience. The overall soundscape Daybreaker create with frantic drums and weighty riffs lavishes ‘In Death Master’ with venom. Donavan’s vocals throughout read like a mind unravelling with frustration fuelled loathing. ‘Descent’ lures the listener in, inviting them to indulge in the thick, juicy opening riffs, oblivious to what’s to come. The mix between growls and spoken word tells us there is no joy to be found here. Minions and gremlins claw at our flesh to the beat of the rolling drums. ‘Descent’’s interlude drags the listener past the point of no return. The demons hosted within the dense bass crawl beneath your skin, consuming you from within.
The hatred which drives this record pools into the crushing ‘Path Of The Righteous’. A drum solo spattered with booming double kick lays the foundation for the chaotic energy of a circle pit. The sludge of the introductory riffs teams with the thick bass to sling mud at the hypocritical righteous. Daybreaker targets the preaching nature of those deluded by grandeur, “choking on your deceit” as the veil is torn off. Fully exposed, their intended is pulled into a vortex of a breakdown which sucks the air out of the room.
Sanctuary is seven deadly stand alone moments. Take any title from the track list and it’s a guaranteed must listen. It’s almost unheard of for a modern metal EP to be devoid of at least one mediocre moment. Whatever has been added to the Communion Wine, it will serve others well to claim sanctuary within Daybreaker’s compound for a moment or two.
Sanctuary is available now across all major streaming platforms. It is also available on CD through the band’s merch store. For the latest news from Daybreaker, follow their social media linked below.
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