Any Given Day – Limitless
Release Date: 26th January 2024
Label: Arising Empire
Order/Stream
Genre: Metalcore
FFO: Killswitch Engage, Bury Tomorrow, Trivium.
Review By: Trina Julian Edwards
German metalcore powerhouses, Any Given Day, are back with their long-awaited fourth full-length album, Limitless, releasing January 26 via Arising Empire. Limitless features Dennis Diehl on harsh and clean vocals, Andy Posdziech and Dennis Ter Schmitten on guitars, Michael Golinski on bass, and Leon Stiller on drums.
It’s been a hot minute since we’ve heard anything from Any Given Day, as their last record, Overpower, came out in 2019. If social media is any indication, fans have eagerly awaited the band’s return, and are excited for Friday’s release — with good reason.
The opening track, Get That Done, follows a familiar modern metalcore pattern with heavier verses and a more melodic chorus. Diehl nails the harsh vocals, pushing a lot of power into those aggressive verses, and the cleans on the chorus are very well done. Favorable comparisons to Killswitch Engage are warranted. There’s a nice little breakdown toward the end, and we even get a solo to wind things up. It’s a high-energy track that starts this album off on the right foot.
Unbreakable brings the speed and ferocity right out of the gate, and the verses are dynamic and interesting. The harsh vocals are a nice complement to the pounding rhythm, and the juxtaposition of the sweeping chorus is predictable but powerful. I’m definitely getting a Five Finger Death Punch vibe here with the declamatory lyrical themes and suitably aggressive stance.
The title track, Limitless, is likely to be an anthem for the band’s fans with its positive message of self-belief.
“I waste no time on bitterness
In a world that’s limitless
I believe in myself and I will prevail…”
More power to ’em. The dynamics are just right, with strong chord progressions that keep the momentum going. This is another high-powered, vigorous track that will for sure get that pit opened up at their live shows.
Come Whatever May is a different beast, starting off like an American country song before kicking into a mid-tempo stomp that eventually reminds you this is a metal band after all. The choruses are still leaning rather more toward modern country, which makes sense when you hear the lyrics, “We’re the cowboys from hell and we’re here to stay…” They pick up some speed for a bit and there’s some lively, double-bass action happening for a minute, plus a nice little solo that sort of ties the seemingly disparate genres together. This departure fits the lyrical themes nicely, however, so I’ll allow it.
The following track, Apocalypse, also takes a slightly different turn, with a prominently slower tempo and a more contemplative feel. The ratio of cleans to harsh vocals favors the cleans, with harsh vocals taking a back seat. The track builds to a short run of a faster, heavier rhythm, which is where our harsh vocals make a longer appearance, but it quickly drops back to the slower tempo and more laid-back rhythm until they bring it home.
Shockwave has a more typical modern metalcore feel, almost djenty in a few places, with heavier verses and big, melodic choruses. Diehl’s vocals are particularly fine here, with very clearly understood harsh vocals that effortlessly transition to silky smooth cleans. There’s also a killer breakdown right before the end that’s worth the price of admission.
Next up is Best Time, a hooky little track that starts with some speedy, clean verses followed by a memorable, radio-friendly chorus. The harsh vocals are sprinkled throughout, and it steadily builds in intensity, with a ridiculously fast rhythm in the mid-section driving the track forward. The dynamics in this one are a lot of fun, and it’s a catchy number that will undoubtedly be another favorite live.
My Way is the shortest track on the album, coming in at around 2:47, but they make the most of it. The aggression grabs your attention right off the bat on this one. The verses weigh heavily toward the spoken-word variety and the lyrics are the “my way or the highway” type of combativeness, no doubt where the name originated. The distinguishing thing here, though, is the blistering solo overlying the punchy rhythm starting around 1:36. That is some serious old school heavy metal energy, and you can’t go wrong with that.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with H.A.T.E., but I absolutely love that it features another German metal staple, Annisokay. The addition of the band’s label mates adds so many interesting layers to this track, and the melodies are just gorgeous. The vocals from both Diehl and Wieczorek are superb, and for a change, I’m totally on board with these cleans. They just work here. The dynamics are spot-on, as they have been throughout, and this is far and away the highlight of the album for me.
Broken Guardian has a djenty, jaunty intro before dropping into a lower tempo clean verse. The thumping rhythm from the intro periodically reappears, overlaid with some superior harsh vocals, and I needed more of that. There are a few of the more spoken-word lines in this track, with a huge, sweeping chorus that gives this one a radio-friendly feel as well.
The final track, Shadow Walker, has a heavy, ponderous intro before going into a lower-tempo verse, followed by a mid-tempo clean chorus. The harsh vocals are not really a focus of this track until about 3/4 of the way through, and I think the lack of that contrast for the majority of the song is to its detriment. I have to be honest, the last minute of the song is the best part, and that instrumental outro made for a lovely ending.
Overall, if you’re a fan of Any Given Day, you’re likely to be well-pleased by this album. They rarely deviated from the standard formula of aggressive verses/melodic choruses (or vice versa), but I can’t blame a band for going the, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” route. If you’ve ever read any of my reviews, you know I’m quite picky about my cleans, especially in core genres, so I struggled with having them, predictably, in every song. I realize this is the norm, so I can’t be mad about it, and my bias doesn’t reflect the quality of the vocals. As I said earlier, comparisons to Killswitch Engage are not without substance. If that’s your thing, you’ll be a happy camper.
I definitely get shades of Five Finger Death Punch with Any Given Day’s brand of bombastic metalcore, but there are some bangers to be had here. There’s no doubt they’ve been successful with this style, their previous album having reached #19 on the German charts. Limitless is not really my cup of tea, but it may be yours. Check out the band’s triumphant return to the scene on Friday, January 26.
(3.5 / 5)
