Interviews

 

DAYSEND

 

Words: Rod Yates

 

Though you’d never catch Meredith Webster admitting it, but from the outside, things looked shaky for Daysend a while back. After returning from a triumphant six-week US tour in 2005, the band seemingly disappeared from the local scene as they bunkered down to write the follow-up to 2003’s Severance. Then word filtered through that they’d split with guitarist Andrew Lilley – a temporary problem given that it paved the way for the immediate return of original six-stringer Michael Kordek. More serious was the departure some months later of vocalist Simon Calabrese, just as the band were about to begin pre-production on their second album. On top of all that, they’d split from their management and label, Chatterbox Records, not long after returning from America. After hitting the scene running and quickly establishing themselves as one of Australia’s best metal bands, it looked like Daysend’s wheels were, if not falling off, then in need of a good alignment. And so you ask Webster if there were moments where she feared that Daysend might never make a second album. To which she replies, with some surprise and no small amount of determination, “No”.

 

“From when I first started the band with Aaron [Bilbija, guitar],” begins the bassist, “the ideas that we had came from the same place. And then having Wayne [Morris, drums] and Michael in the band, [we all have] the same focus. So I guess you can’t really let anyone down or let yourself down or let what you’re doing down. It just never occurred to me that it would never happen, cos through all the stuff that happened the songs were there and the friendship’s always been there, and I guess that keeps everything going.”

 

Key to getting back into the studio and back on track, though, was the recruitment of a new singer. It wasn’t the first time in the band’s career they’d found themselves in this position, given that their original frontman, Dave Micallef, left the band on the eve of their first-ever tour, forcing them to play the dates as an instrumental outfit. Enter ex-Headcage vocalist Mark McKernan, who makes his recorded debut with Daysend on their just-released second album, The Warning.

 

“We’d known Mark for a couple of years just through other friends, and I guess he had the same ideals as us, the same sort of commitment, in the same way we’re all focused number one on band stuff,” explains Webster.

 

With a new line-up in place, all that was left to do was complete the songs for album number two and start recording – which, in turn, solved the remaining problem, that of a label and management. After several weeks in the studio with noted metal producer D.W. Norton, he offered to sign the quintet to his Faultline label and become their manager. Finally, all the pieces were in place for Daysend to mark their return – and The Warning is the perfect album with which to do it.

 

A release of truly international quality, it represents a step-up from Severance not only in songwriting, but sonically as well – something the band had to achieve if they were to capitalise on the headway they’d made in the US on their 2005 tour.

 

“When it came to recording, the sound we were pulling had to be an international sound, we had to put everything against all the other bands that are coming out now,” explains Webster. “Even mastering, we were really conscious of what we were going to do for that, and I think we got something on par with international stuff.”

 

After a few months of touring the album locally, the band will once again set their sights on America.

 

“We did a lot of things the hard way when we got over there [the first time],” says Webster. “Next time, having hindsight, things will be a lot easier, although it wasn’t that bad anyway. Being the smallest in the band, though, I had to spend the entire six weeks in the van pretty much [sharing my seat with a spare tyre on one side and everyone’s bags on the other]. So I figure if I can do that, anything’s cool after that.”

 

So you’re looking forward to getting back there?

 

“Definitely,” she smiles. “And I’m hoping to get a whole seat to myself this time. I’m adamant about it!”

 

 

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