A DAY OVERDUE - Secrets CD

The opening track on this album I heard a fair while before the album came out. It roars into life with a tidal wave of guitars, synth undercurrents, hurricane rhythm section work, massive choruses and driving lead vocals all set to an arrangement and a production that's like a 21st century version of Def Leppard, only way more powerful than anything they ever achieved – it's an adrenaline rush in a world of tearing down the highway thunder, huge sounding, and, at a shade under four minutes, fits in more punch than a heavyweight boxer, as close as possible to a timeless rock-indie anthem as they come. As a result, I thought I was going to get an album that would conform to everything that this promised – and I wasn't disappointed – but I was surprised.
I was surprised because, while I did find an album consisting of ten rock solid anthems, I was amazed and delighted to find that this band are way more than just a rock band – they can write and arrange to perfection, play faultlessly, have a strong lead singer but, just as importantly, have a sea of multi-tracked and harmony vocals that the likes of Leppard would kill to own. After the aforementioned track, the album drives into “Twilight II”, every bit another steaming rock anthem, only this time with even greater depth and dynamics, starting with ringing guitar chords as the rhythm section kick in at mid-pace and a vocal that sounds more like something out of an American emo band delivers a strong sounding verse. But then it all erupts and the track veers between blazing guitars-driven hooks and the relative restraint of the verses, only then for the band to explode on the verses as well, as the whole song just lifts off like a rocket and another unforgettable anthem ensues in a hail of harmonies, lead and rhythm guitars, crashing cymbals, deep bass and epic production, a song that is massive and memorable in every positive way. “Scream!” follows and the pace accelerates as another steamroller track powers ahead and every bit as huge as the opener, the band sounding expansive and explosive as the song covers the universe, guitars ring out, riff out and drive, while the rhythm section surge along with intent and intensity. Everything about it screams “anthem” but it's all so contemporary at the same time as being rooted in all manner of rock-related influences. “Kicking And Screaming” is what you'd call the perfect marriage of emotiive indie, powerful emo and forceful Classic Rock, a bit like a collision between Blink 182, Twin Atlantic and Def Leppard, and just amazing as another storm-force gem of a song roars ahead with a huge sound, impassioned lead vocals, soaring harmonies, searing heat guitar riffs and leads, all underpinned by dependable rock solid rhythms. “The City Sleeps” is even more commercial sounding and here the band sound more pop-punk than rock, as, arguably, the most commercial track on the album bursts into life in a sea of heady verses, hooks and choruses. The production is immense, the playing potent and the singing absolutely spot on, another gem of an anthem occupying a place in your head and your heart, this time a touch more variation to it, more dynamics still and a few more twists and turns including a red hot guitar break that puts the icing on the cake of a truly great song that ends more as a rock anthem without losing the pop-punk that underlies its commercial genius. “Addicted” is as scarily close to “Def Leppard as emo band” as it gets, with something that's half rock ballad, half powerful pop-punk surge, but as a whole, it's a hands-in-the-air gem of a song, the sort of thing that would have a massive audience swaying inexorably along to its undoubted addiction, as this mile wide sea of guitars, bass, drums, vocals and harmonies provides the action that is truly mesmerising. “Relapse” stomps its way to glory with a chrous as wide as the ocean and high as the sky, while “Scarecrows” is another contemporary power ballad masquerading as a mile-wide anthem with the crunch of guitars, bass and drums, infinite riffing and towering vocals on verses and choruses that send shivers down your spine every time you hear them, all topped with a red hot lead guitar break for final impact. “Don't Close Your Eyes” just rocks and rolls its surging anthemic AOR path to glory that's made to be turned way up loud and heard from one end of the city to the other. Finally, one astonishingly brilliant album comes to a close with the title track, starting as a stark slice of emotional singing underpinned by keys before the band rushes in and the whole thing takes off once more, with all the trademarks that have made this such an amazing album, firmly in place.

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