Daidalos - The Expedition (Review)

I am a sucker for extreme metal. Plus, when you throw symphonic stuff of standards of Dimmu Borgir and Fleshgod, it just becomes irresistible. That's what I felt while going through the promo of Daidalos. German one-man symphonic dark metal band Daidalos, founded in 2020 by drummer/pianist Tobias Püschner (former drummer of the technical thrash band Revolt) released the debut album "The Expedition" on July 29th 2022 via Extreme Metal Music, and I can’t wait to share my thoughts on it.

Daidalos mastermind Tobias Püschner goes on to create a concept album, revising the tales of Captain Sir John Franklin's Lost Expedition - a British voyage of Arctic exploration that departed with 129 men from England in 1845. Püschner comments: “Both ships, called Erebus & Terror, became icebound and after being trapped and suffering in eternal coldness for over a year, the remaining sailors decided to abandon their ships. Trying to survive, they set out for the Canadian mainland but disappeared.”

A symphonic metal album, marked with the presence of a conceptual storyline is a vessel that has its own journey to voyage. Daidalos wants you to invest in that journey through “The Expedition”. A cinematic experience on its own, the dense wall of sound accompanied by the heart-pumping symphonic score accounts for an exhilarating ride. The fast aggressive drumming, the violent guitar riffs, and the piano-laden melodies act as anchor points where a phase ends and another begins. Püschner explains: “The idea behind this way of songwriting is to finish each track's own atmosphere with orchestral music and then use those emotions to create the more challenging parts”, and the songwriting is definitely reflective of that.

Ten tracks off the record and with all tracks being almost five-minutes in length, one might find it hefty to go through the entire runtime, but the album has memorable passages and majestic instrumentation to never let loose of your attention. The vocals are a balancing act between the harsh, high screams in black metal style and clean backing vocals, both of which are executed with the utmost energy, dedication, and precision. Even to the listener’s surprise, the last song has female vocals on it to aid the storytelling. Lastly, a tightly packed record presented with a well-production increases its value ten-fold!

With a debut release of such high standards, all Daidalos needs now are new listeners to enjoy the record.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Website: Daidalos Facebook

Genre: Symphonic Dark Metal

Label: Extreme Metal Music

Worldwide Release: June 29th, 2022