Seemingly destined to be known as ‘that band who covered Rhianna’s Diamonds, Germany’s Any Given Day nonetheless delivered a solid debut, My Longest Way Home, in 2014, with a more bludgeoning take on djent-cum-prog-metal.
But although the grunt is still impressive throughout this second effort, not least on Endurance and the Meshuggah homage of Ignite The Light, the momentum is lost when the one-dimensional choruses and stripped-down melodies are given centre stage.
Mask Of Lies and the bullish thump of Masquerade may have sounded fresh at the turn of the decade but the majority of the ideas have been done to death or improved upon elsewhere, meaning that for all its sheen, Everlasting never hits the peaks it promises. Even Matt Heafy seems underwhelmed during his flat cameo on the decent nu metal groove of Arise. AGD have plenty of potential to combine their rugged metallic edge and the more acclaimed ingenuity of the progressive bands they reference, but they’re still off the pace.
