Today is the Day Frontman Compares New Album to Morbid Angel and AC/DC
Today is the Day have been punishing listeners with their left-of-center brand of noise rock for the past two decades. Even though they've been on several different labels, gone through numerous lineup changes, and survived through countless scene trends, one thing has always remained true -- Steve Austin cannot be stopped.
Guitarist-vocalist founding member Austin has never let the everyday setbacks of the music industry get in the way of his music. Now armed with a new lineup featuring drummer Curran Reynolds and bassist Ryan Jones, both of Wetnurse, Austin is planning a return to the underground with Today is the Day's finest work yet. Noisecreep recently spoke with Austin about the upcoming album and their new record deal with Blackmarket Activities.
Have you completed work on the new record?
Yes, and I have to say that I am extremely rocked by it. Curran and Ryan played their greatest and the songs are right there in the direction I was hoping they would go.
Where did you record the record?
God City in Salem, MA with my friend Kurt Ballou of Converge.
Usually, you handle all of the engineering and production duties yourself. Why the change in procedure?
I wanted to get things simplified, so that I could concentrate 100% on playing guitar and singing. I also wanted to relieve myself of some of the responsibility of both playing in the band and having to cover the technical side of things with recording. I only trusted one person out of all the folks we considered to record this, and that was Kurt. He has a great ear and precision with heavy music, and has always been a fan of the same kind of analog pro audio gear I am into. He keeps it real and then some. His recordings always have a very genuine and true sound about them. Plus, I enjoy his friendship and like working with him better than anyone else out there.
Is there a title for the new record?
'Pain Is A Warning.'
What can we expect sonically?
I would say straight from the gut and heart heavy metal rock 'n' roll. After playing super technical stuff and treading pretty far out in the progressive rock realm, we tried on this one to bring out the rockin' aspect of what we are feeling. We're not afraid to play things that are primitive, rockin' and destructive, but letting our style and expansive sound form the riffs into something that hasn't been tried before.
At times it was like Motorhead, Jesus Lizard and AC/DC, had gotten into the octagon with Morbid Angel and Mayhem, and birthed a hard-as-f--- rock baby.
You have a new lineup. Can you give us the story regarding the new members?
I have worked with Curran on SuperNova Records and touring with Today Is The Day since 2007. Curran also played drums live on tour with my side project Taipan. After going through some really heavy life changes with my [mother's health], I had decided it was time to take a break and concentrate on getting together a better quality of life for her.
I looked at the band and saw myself chasing a time line many times and felt like we needed to hit the restart button, in terms of what the band is all about and who is playing in it. Dedication is a hard thing to come by when picking musicians for the band. It's almost as important as talent and playing.
Curran impresses me with his hardcore progressive playing style, and being such a trusted best friend. I knew he could handle playing drums in the band. Shortly after, we brought in Curran's Wetnurse bandmate Ryan. He has a precise playing style and loads of charisma.
What is the writing process like with the new members?
We jam out free form and develop riffs. We write them down and keep going. When we feel we have the parts all there we start connecting them together as songs. Everybody plays what they want to so it is a very collaborative effort. I made up a few of the songs after coming home from Hellfest a couple years back, and the rest of it I jammed out with the guys at practice.
You're also working with a new label, Black Market Activities. How did that relationship come about?
I always have been a big fan of Guy and his work with The Red Chord. He has a menacing stage presence and huge voice; one of the best in aggressive music. His label, Black Market Activities, in my opinion, has been at the cutting edge with the bands it has delivered and Guy, as a business man, has the right idea and understanding of where modern music is these days.
So we got together and talked about this after Curran had let me know that Guy was very interested in working with us. Everything we talked about was right on target, and Guy told me he was extremely proud to do this. So we did it. I can't say enough good things about Guy and the way he does things.
Watch the video for 'The Descent'
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