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Biography : Day Turns Night

Day Turns Night - a melodic death metal band situated at the southernmost tip of Africa - are currently finding increased interest and appreciation for their music amongst heavy music listeners across the globe. With Ferdi’s metronomical precision and power at the drums, Karel's bellowing low- and fear-striking high pitch vocals, the paired guitar onslaught of Roland and Sarge and the melody-enhancing low end courtesy of Tian, they are set to grow into a global representative for South African metal. Their story starts off with three of the current members: Ferdi, Roland and Tian; and one former member, Izan Visser. Collectively they were responsible for the instrumentation behind Helderberg-based punk bank Fozim. Meanwhile, not too far down the road actually, the two other current members were busy crafting their own skills. Their first encounter with Sarge, which also earned him this title, came with Fozim's initial demo recordings. During these early days for new wave metal concerts in the area, they saw performances by then one of a very few metal bands in the area, Decay of Angels. Striking up a solid relationship with vocalist Karel would turn out to be fundamental in their journey. Coincidently, Sarge had done an EP recording for Decay Of Angels as well. When the time came for the Fozim boys to look for a new vocalist they didn’t realise that they were coming to an end of a chapter, but inevitably, setting the stage for a new one... Sarge recorded another three tracks for them which they'd use for audition purposes. After initially declining a try-out in their recruitment campaign, Karel pitched for an audition. They weren't just blown away and happy to welcome Karel to his new 'home', but also realised they were now heading in a new direction with their music. After two songs had been written, they renamed the band to one of those tracks, When Day Turns To Night. With this line up they formed their sound, dipped their foot into the growing Cape Town (and surrounds) metal scene and recorded their first EP entitled 'Another Day In Hell.' Recorded by Sarge in Roland's house, and mixed by Izan, this album sold really well and attained high regard for the sound quality achieved in a make-shift recording environment. Not too long after the release of this album, due to a freak accident the rest of the band had to bid farewell to Izan (86-07). With another gig lined up, subsequently set in the memory of Izan, they had to find someone to temporarily fill in on guitar duties. Due to discussions before the tragic event and them having worked with Sarge frequently, he was approached and accepted their request. After the lined-up gigs he became a permanent member of DTN. The first year with the new line up consisted of various small gigs, the formulation of their song writing process, gaining more experience with recording, venturing out of the Western Cape region for the first time and performing at local festivals. After a very successful national tour in June 2008, realisation of their own influence and stature within the local metal scene (and that they were now compelled to put more concentrated effort into the band) came in the form of being selected (by the public) to open for Devildriver in Cape Town, as part of a planned South African tour. Up until the cancellation of the tour they were also in a rally to open the Johannesburg show. This cancellation came as a big shock as they had prepared very thoroughly for this event. This initiated discussions for the following year’s national tour, ultimately leading to their next significant goal; to within six months, compose the remaining tracks that would fill a full-length, record, and release their debut album. Six months, and a lot of all nighters later, they released 'Fallen Legacy.' With this self-produced and self-recorded album (mixed by Zack Ohren of Castle Ultimate Studios) they showcase the range and variety of their musical prowess and establish a unique sound their fans and peers have come to applaud and support. They have also become one of the most sought after live acts locally, receiving equally good reviews from mainstream press, fellow musicians and critics alike. Due to popular demand they have played four of the six main events hosted by Metal4Africa in the last 3 years. After their first appearance on the Ramfest stage in 2008, they proceeded to headline the Black Parade Stage in 2009. They were the main regional support act for the Haste The Day Tour early 2009 as well.

Source : myspace.com