DAEODON, the broad-ranging, post-grunge doom-rockers named for the pre-historic creature which roamed North America over 19 million years ago, delivers music with “teeth” on its sophomore EP, Media Mask.
Due for release Aug. 24, Media Mask spans across multiple genres and follows no traditional music conventions or formulas, drawing influence from Zeppelin and Sabbath to Soundgarden, Deftones, A Perfect Circle, Mastodon and Faith No More. Rife with hard-driving, precision riffs, spacious, ethereal moments, extreme highs and lows and passages ranging from blaringly loud to calmingly soft, the five-song EP is the strongest representation to date what DAEODON (day-o-don) sounds like in live performance. Tighter songwriting and clean, precise production clearly signify the band’s evolution just since the release of its early 2018 debut EP, No Time To Die, a considerably more raw affair produced by a young engineer at Steve Albini’s (Nirvana) Chicago studio.
Media Mask was produced by DAEODON — John Torstrick (guitars), Sam LeMay (vocals), Rob Edwards (drums) and Greg Livingston (bass) — and recorded at Early Grayce in their hometown of Louisville.
“We were definitely harder on ourselves this time around when it came to the songwriting,” says Torstrick. “We were really trying to find our voice.”
Together, DAEODON has indeed stabilized its sound and found its voice on Media Mask, but not without surviving its share of creative tension. Fortunately, these strong-willed individuals have been able to channel their differences into an irresistible energy that surges throughout the new EP.
“There’s a bit of a destructive energy in DAEODON, and part of our success is being able to cope with that,” says Torstrick. “I think part of the reason that our sound is a little crazy and all over the place is because everybody has their own issues they’re trying to deal with.
“We’ve been walking a tightrope for a while. Like, can we get over this hurdle, or is this going to be the end of the band? But I think that’s kind of the crux of the project, that we’ve been able to deal with some very tough situations and capitalize on it. Sometimes when you have a fight with someone close to you, it strengthens the relationship. In the long run, it’s made all four of us a stronger unit — it’s made us trust each other more.”
MEDIA MASK Track Listing
1. Media Mask
2. The Man
3. Cobra
4. Signal
5. Satellite
