The late 2000s and early 2010s had a surge of metalcore and melodic metal genres. As the genre reached its peak, there was no shortage of upper-echelon talented vocalists who were the hallmark of the era. Former Of Mice & Men guitarist Shayley Bourget‘s range, control, and warbling vocal vibrato caused his talents to stand out amongst the never-ending horizon of unclean/clean dual-vocalist bands.
While news of Shayley departing after the second album circulated, he didn’t miss a beat when forming a new outfit called Dayshell. 2013 saw the debut self-titled album where the popular track “Not Coming In” currently stands with over 4M Spotify streams. Progressively over the next two album releases, 2016’s Nexus and 2019’s Mr. Pain, Dayshell kept their familiar instrumental flourishes, yet Shayley experimented with more and more unclean vocals within the albums.
The newest album, Pegasus (Self-Released), hits like a storm surge. A cassette tape deck clicking sets off “You Wish” as guitars chug and Shayley attacks the mic, screaming: “All the pain, all the cruelty / Just keeps fucking with my life / I’m not the animal”.
The chorus slips into his signature vocal style as he sings “Bet you wish you could kill me / Bet you wish you could ruin me / Bet you wish I was dead” which speaks to his resilience and spite.
The intro to “Attitude” intro has a punky undertone but re-centers with heavy guitar and some synth elements. As one would guess, “Attitude” has attitude. Bleeding with bitterness, the lyric’s stinging dismissals are balanced as they are embraced with a gorgeous melodic guitar riff that comes forward during the latter half. It satisfies an itch that lends to another listen.
Album-wide, the tracks never seem to really slow their pace. It’s chock full of upbeat songs that are brimming with thick, crunchy guitars, soaring vocals, gritty screams that cover emotions like annoyance, regret, melancholy, self depreciation, lust, pleads, and anger; Shayley stepping further into his one-man-band role, where everything he has written, performed, and recorded continues to be more and more fine tuned between each album cycle.
Quintessential it seems to Dayshell fashion, however, there is a gentler track that closes out the album. “Play the Beast” is outfitted with an acoustic guitar and a subtle pop backing drum track.
Pegasus fits in snugly with the rest of the Dayshell discography, but has enough growth to mark it different from the last. It’s heavier than its predecessors, but that doesn’t stop it from soaring.
Buy the album here:
7 / 10
JESSIE FRARY