Nick Day - The Testament of Will

Nick Day

The Testament of Will
​self-released; 2021

4.1 out of 5 - TOP ALBUM

By Matt Jensen

With decades of experience in music,  Nick Day is a musician and composer writing primarily for guitar, solo voice, choral voices and sound textures. One of his recent releases The Testament of Will contains an interesting concept.

​He explains that “The Testament of Will forms the first part of a series of multi arts productions entitled 'Moving Under Skies.’ The work explores and charts physical, social and psychological changes over the course of a human life. The idea was inspired by the 'Alice' books of Lewis Carroll.”

“Human Geography” is the first song. It’s unequivocally very unusual but intriguing. The song starts with a meditative lush soundscape. There are notes that blend and bleed into each other. I could hear bells, ghostly vocals, harmonies and perhaps pads. There are distinct vocals that come in but this isn’t a typical lead. It sounded a bit like a chant you might imagine happening at a Knights of Templar Meeting which summons ancient spirits. There is a significant change when the guitar comes in which brings a sense of levity. 

The second song “Out in the Wash'' starts off a bit more traditional with female vocals and acoustic guitar. That being said it also transitions into a big sounding part which sounds borderline religious. 

“Night Terrors” was a pretty incredible song with incredible vocals. There are multiple vocal harmonies which are female and male this time. This song was even more religious sounding and felt ancient in a sense. I kept imagining this being sung in a beautiful cathedral somewhere in Europe.

“On Chequered Lawns” utilizes the space between the music just as much as the sound of it. I loved “Fauna” which is a shorter song at three minutes but has some great guitar work and I thought the percussive elements were a nice addition to add some energy to the experience. He closes with the title song “​​The Testament of Will” which is the most beautiful song with more vocal arrangements that are pretty incredible.

This is definitely one of the more unique releases I have heard in recent memory. It may take some warming up to but once it clicks it’s really captivating. Highly recommended.

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