Haste The Day is back, and no they’re not changing their name.

Lineup changes are never easy.  Sometimes they work for the worse (Matt Fazzi for Taking Back Sunday), sometimes they work for the better (Spencer Chamberlain for Underoath), and sometimes they don’t cause any change at all (whichever one you want to talk about to describe The Chariot).  Whatever the reason may be for why someone leaves, one thing is certain: life moves on.  Members are eventually replaced and the band moves forward, for better or worse.

Which brings us to local favorites Haste The Day, who since releasing “Dreamer” in 2008 have seen the departure of Devin and Brennan Chaulk, effectively leaving bassist Mike Murphy as the only original member left.  Some people have been arguing that they should change their name due to them not really being the same band anymore (don’t believe me?  Check out the fan page on Facebook).  Nevertheless, you either march on or pack it in.  Thankfully they chose the former.  After bringing in drummer Giuseppe Capolupo (ex-Once Nothing) and guitarist Scotty Whelan (ex-Phinehas), HTD hit the studio to record what we now know as “Attack of the Wolf King.”

So is it worth your time?

I’ll admit, I was a bit skeptical before listening to what they had to offer.  I’ve been a big fan of these guys since hearing “When Everything Falls”back in high school and losing some of their core members freaked me out a little.  What I didn’t expect was for an already-established band to successfully re-invent themselves.  HTD manages to take what made them great in the first place while infusing influences from where their new members came from.  Yes, they have new members and a different sound.  Live with it.

By the time of the fifth album, metalcore bands will either go the route of getting heavier or getting more melodic.  HTD seems to take the route of the former.

With the opening track “Wake Up the Sun,” it’s very evident this is a different band.  It sounds a little like they spent some time listening to a bunch of August Burns Red and Oh, Sleeper records when writing guitar parts.  Along with this, Murphy is now providing low vocal harmonies to frontman Stephen Keech’s high vocals.  Actually their singing parts are the initial complaint I had about this album.  Compared to the normal calm-sounding style Brennan and Mike had for so many years, now it takes on a more generic-sounding “the higher the vocals, the better” mentality (The Devil Wears Prada or Chiodos, anyone?).  The new vocals do work, it’s just a little weird hearing it like that the first couple of times.

For older fans who may feel alienated listening to the new HTD, don’t worry.  There’s still enough heavy guitars, thunderous drums, catchy sing-alongs and crushing breakdowns to feed your need.  Songs like “Merit For Sadness,” “The Un-Manifest” and “The Quiet, Deadly Ticking” should hold you over.

With the ongoing metallic onslaught, there is one standout track: the Deftones-inspired “White As Snow.”  While maybe not as soft or slow as “Labryinth” or “Autumn,” it’s still a welcome mix of haunting vocals and distorted guitars.  As far as ballads go, it’s fast enough to keep you interested, but slow enough to give a nice change of pace.

On the same note as standout tracks, this is where my last complaint will come from: the closing track “My Name Is Darkness.”  It starts out with a soft intro and builds to Keech’s screaming vocals.  Just when it reaches its peak, the song ends.  Had it been a little longer, it could’ve been their best track.  Instead, it seems like it would work better as a filler than as a closer.  In the end, it just leaves you wanting more, but maybe that’s why most mp3 players have a repeat button.

Overall, this isn’t the same HTD that gave us “Blue 42″ or “American Love,” but instead a new HTD.  Bands grow, evolve and ultimately change their sound, and sometimes fans can’t handle that.  Will it polarize fans?  Definitely.  Will it alienate older fans?  Possibly.  Is it an album worth checking out?  Yes, I think so.  It’s a very different, very heavy album from a veteran band still worthy of calling themselves “Haste The Day.”