Reviews list for Day of Suffering - The Eternal Jihad (1997)

Here's one of the first albums to combine death metal and hardcore in the late 90s, thus creating deathcore, a genre that would evolve (or devolve) into something much different. Day of Suffering and Abnegation were two of the first bands to combine hardcore with thrashy death metal influences. At hand was a righteous mix of Earth Crisis, Slayer, Deicide, and Morbid Angel, the latter of whom is perhaps how Day of Suffering got their name, from one of that band's songs...

The Eternal Jihad has a few uncomfortable things about the album, such as the title. It's so unlike the lyrical themes the band was interested in, and me being part of Islam, I'm not sure what my family would think of this. Of course there were more controversial bands of the hardcore scene like Vegan Reich. The vegan message made by that band and Earth Crisis would carry on into Day of Suffering. It's quite strange hearing such liberal themes in hardcore, but hey, when haven't those themes occur? They were more relevant back in those days than the recent diversity I was more used to.

The opening title track begins with a sample from Malcolm X before hitting you like a truck with deathly hardcore. The Slayer/Earth Crisis-like riffs are leveled up with death metal influences. It's so amazing hearing chugging tremolo riffing with dangerous aggression. "Shades of Red" is a better highlight, with as much blasting intensity as Deicide before settling into hardcore groove. There's a chanting chorus important for live shows. "Elegy" fights against abortion.

"Engulfed In Darkness" starts with a dark intro then accelerates into hardcore chaos. The thrashy "Condemned to Fire" has evil-sounding leads. "Visualize Industrial Collapse" takes on industrialization as the lyrical theme.

"Pawn" is another deathly hardcore monster. "The Rising of the Tide" is one more highlight that's left me in awe. I can hear the metalcore that Trivium and Demon Hunter would have in their most sinister in each band's first couple albums, while mixed in with those thrashy death metal influences from before. This finale doesn't beat the first two tracks, but it's a brutal good way to end!

The music this band has made fits well for their place and time. Many underground bands would remain forgotten, yet some stand out as interesting and underrated. The Eternal Jihad is perhaps the best founding definition of early deathcore/metalcore and is worth being placed in the hands of the listener....

Favorites: "The Eternal Jihad", "Shades of Red", "Engulfed in Darkness", "The Rising of the Tide"