Dark New Day are a supergroup for the active rock/post-grunge sound that grew out of the American South in the 1990s and early 2000s. The bandmembers' credits include
Sevendust,
Stereomud,
Stuck Mojo, and
Doubledrive; vocalist/guitarist
Brett Hestla even served as
Creed's touring bassist. Of course, "supergroup" also means this is a quintet of veterans. And as the first single, "Brother," proves, they know how to push buttons. It's a professional blend of terse electric guitar, brooding familial bond lyrics, and reedy verses that scratch at the chunky electric precipice like denuded tree branches. They might have grown up together in struggling bands, but the members of
Dark New Day found success with the big-time alternative metal formula. So they already know how to sell records, and from
Tool,
Alice in Chains, and
Nickelback -- not to mention the work of the bands they came from -- the catalogs of proven winners combine in the shadows of
Silence. They might sell a lot of records, but
Dark New Day don't challenge the status quo. ~ Johnny Loftus