It can’t be a coincidence that the most important chapters in the history of rock music have almost always been written by amazing duos: just think of Lennon/McCartney, Jagger/Richards, Page/Plant or – in the heavy metal genre – Dickinson/Harris, Darrell/Anselmo and Araya/King. In most cases, the key to success is the close cooperation between an innovative songwriter and his charismatic vocalist, because when outstanding compositional talent and vocal excellence enter into a close liaison, the result can’t be anything but brilliant. And this formula works just fine also in the case of Everyday I Die. The protagonists of this new, exciting modern metal project are easily identified: the vocalist is none other than Soilwork frontman Björn ‘Speed’ Strid, the songs were penned by guitarist Patrick Kohlhaas – two exceptional musicians whose artistic DNA appears to be a perfect match and who impressively prove in ten songs that they have developed something new, something spectacular.
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Everyday I Die was founded in summer 2014 when Kohlhaas and Strid first got in touch with each other via Facebook. Strid happened to be looking for another challenge during the creative hiatus of his band Soilwork when some extremely interesting demo recordings by Kohlhaas came to his attention. Kohlhaas was thrilled that Strid out of all people, one of his favourite contemporary metal vocalists, commented so favourably on his material. Of course he used this unique opportunity and forwarded more examples of his musical ideas to the singer, receiving another positive reaction from Sweden: “Great composings, man!” Strid promptly enthused by e-mail, adding: “We should definitely do something together.” The guitarist didn’t need to be asked twice and, together with drummer Michael Stein and bassist Claude Ewert, produced the debut album Isolation at the Bazement Studio under the direction of Markus Teske (Vanden Plas, Saga, among others).
Björn ‘Speed’ Strid doesn’t require a lengthy introduction. Having released nine albums with his band Soilwork since 1998, he has always worked with other talented musicians on the side, among them Italian death metal act Disarmonia Mundi, cooperated with Klas Ideberg (Darkane) under the moniker of Terror 2000 and was involved in the international all-star project Coldseed. In Kohlhaas he has found another kindred spirit. The 35-year-old German is an acknowledged master of his craft, studied classical music at the Conservatoire de Musiqe in Luxemburg for five years and took an active part in Paul Gilbert’s Guitar Clinic. For six years, the certified classical guitarist has worked as a lecturer at the Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm Music Academy and has gathered extensive experience in a number of bands.
Everyday I Die brings together what – very obviously – belongs together: the crunching thrash opener ‘My Will Be Done’ immediately sets the pace and should make all Soilwork fans happy from the very first note. At the same time, Isolation features a wide range of atmospheres and different degrees of toughness. The intense mood on ‘Drown In Red Water’ with its superb chorus appears to have been tailored to Strid’s musical genius, just like the exceptional title track and the dramatic ‘Revolution’.
So this recording has everything to delight the fans, including the brilliant cover artwork courtesy of graphic artist Mattias Norén (Kamelot, Evergrey). That the success of this album is only waiting to happen is apparent from every single note.