Band: Day Of My Escape
Title: The Buried Life
Label: N/A
Release Date: 2009
Review By: Scott L
Tracklisting:
- Living For You
- Yours
- Break The Mold
- The Buried Life
- Don’t Say Goodbye
- Falling
- Break Me Open
- Fading Fast
- Fear Not Tomorrow
- These Words
- Like I Was
- Yours (HX Version)
Day Of My Escape is a 4-piece out of Topeka, Kansas. They’re also a band on a mission. They’re not out to be trendsetters or to push the limits of your musical palate. What they are out to do is present an uncompromising message of hope and faith to an increasingly hostile world. The vehicle they have chosen for this message is a grungy, modern rock akin to such bands as Course Of Nature, Crossfade, and 10 Second Drop. Gravely vocals, chunky guitars, and a big low end that’s geared to pound your head in… in a friendly sorta way.
Minor production issues aside, this release shows some genuine potential in the band’s hesitant first steps into the market. I say hesitant because I felt that these guys were playing it a little safe on this release. I could be misreading them, but I really felt that they could bring more to the table if not for the fear of not landing it squarely. That works both for and against them… because playing it safe rarely makes a big splash, but holds far less risk. Only time will tell I suppose.
Lyrically, Day Of My Escape rolls straight at you with a message of hope in Christ alone. The song “Break Me Open” sums it up pretty well, it says, “take my hardened heart / soften if with Your Word / take this jar of clay / mold me shape me / break me down again / do what you will with me / for I want to be a vessel of your glory / break me open pour out all of me / let me be an offering / I want to give to You / the worship You deserve / for only You alone are so worthy / I was made to worship You / I was made to give You praise / I will lift my voice and sing / sing praises to Your name”. Or how about the introspective “Like I Was”, which says, “I’m here like I was the day before last / trying to outrun, outrun my past / failures and mistakes that I have made / I want to be free but cannot break these chains / when I’m broken on my knees / You’re the one who sees, who sees everything / all the shame and all the lies / the regrets I try to hide / You know me yet You love me just the same / You pick me up when I’m down in the mud / down in the mud again / I’m getting pretty good at getting nowhere fast / I’ve tried and tried so hard nothing seems to last / defeat and frustration feel my mind / and I want to be free but cannot break these chains / when I’m broken on my knees / You’re the one who sees, who sees everything”. I always love bands that have the spiritual wherewithal to actually speak out in the name of their Savior. My prayer is that more bands will get on the ball and realize that this isn’t about being rockstars… it’s about reaching the lost. Let’s face it, time’s ticking on all of our lives and it’s about time to get about our Father’s business.
The standout track was “Yours”. The original version, not the tacked on hardcore version that adds a rougher touch to the vocals. “Fear Not Tomorrow” was a contender, but after a sweet intro the song kinda goes flat.
By way of a band bio, Day Of My Escape’s Myspace contains the following: “It was the spring of 2006 and Jeremy Thomas had just moved into his new house. He invited Mark Shinkle over for what he called ‘a jam session’. From that jam session 2 songs were written and the idea of starting a band was also talked about. At this point it was just Jeremy and Mark so they enlisted friend and bass player David Packard to fill out the sound and finish out the 3 piece band. They played their first show with only 4 songs written and one month of practice. After several shows and writing several more songs they recorded a few demo songs. They continued to play locally in their home town of Topeka as well as traveling to Kansas City, Joplin, MO, Bartlesville, OK and many other cities and states. In the early part of 2009 they finally got the chance to record 11 of their songs for a full length CD. They remained a 3 piece band until the summer of 2009 when it was decided that they would enlist longtime band friend and guitar player Ben Stutzman. After a lineup change and the upcoming release of their full length CD, the band decided on a name change and chose their current moniker. They feel it is a declaration of who they are as a band. Guitarist and lead vocalist Jeremy states ‘We have all been set free from something in our lives what better way to say it.’ They feel this new lineup and name change has revived them in their vision and goal for the band. They feel there are great things on the horizon for them and await with expectation to see what God will do.”
Overall: Day Of My Escape’s 12-song release “The Buried Life” is a great first effort and shows great promise. Jumping out of the gate and packing a big league message, I look forward to seeing what the future holds for these guys. So grab a grungy flannel shirt and get ready to fell some righteous angst.
www.myspace.com/dayofmyescape