Today Is the Day is an American noise rock and experimental metal band that originally formed in Nashville, Tennessee. The band's diverse sound combines influences from areas such as noise music, avant-garde metal, grindcore, post-hardcore, and alternative rock among other genres. Most of the band's recordings make extensive use of dissonance and sampling, as well as unusual production techniques and psychedelic overtones. Lyrical themes include depression, warfare, violence, altered states of consciousness, and mental disorders.
History
Formation and early years with AmRep (1992–1996) The band was founded by guitarist Steve Austin and drummer Brad Elrod, who previously played together in Alien In the Land of Our Birth. The duo would move to Nashville, Tennessee, in the early 1990s, and would form Today Is the Day in March 1992 after meeting bassist Mike Herrell, who previously lived in Alabama. Today Is the Day released its debut demo EP, entitled How to Win Friends and Influence People, in 1992. This self-financed release garnered the attention of Amphetamine Reptile Records (also known as AmRep) who signed the band in February 1993. The full-length Supernova was released in April that year.
In September 1994, Today Is the Day saw its popularity in the metal underground increase with the release of their second album, entitled Willpower. That same year, Willpower was followed by the Clusterfuck '94 split EP with labelmates Chokebore and Guzzard. Today Is the Day also contributed to the tenth volume of AmRep's Dope Guns and Fucking in the Streets 7-inch series with Brainiac and Steel Pole Bath Tub.
Today Is the Day's self-titled album was released in March 1996. This album was the first of the band's releases recorded at Austin's own studio, Austin Enterprise, in Nashville. Today Is the Day was the band's final recording for AmRep.
Move to Relapse (1997–2004) In 1997, Today Is the Day left AmRep and signed with Philadelphia-based metal label Relapse Records and released Temple of the Morning Star in September 1997. In addition to Temple of the Morning Star, Today Is the Day also contributed to the In These Black Days 7-inch series, released by Hydra Head Records, with their rendition of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", which can also be found as a secret track at the end of Temple of the Morning Star.
For Today Is the Day's July 1999 release, entitled In the Eyes of God, Austin brought on board bassist Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor, formerly of Rochester, New York's Lethargy and current members of Atlanta, Georgia's Mastodon. After moving to Massachusetts in 1998, In the Eyes of God was the first Today Is the Day album to be recorded at Austin Enterprise's new location in Clinton, Massachusetts.
The years 2000 and 2001 were relatively quiet for Today Is the Day in terms of releasing new material. Live Till You Die was released in August 2000, and included live tracks recorded during the tours in support of Temple of the Morning Star and In the Eyes of God, covers of songs by The Beatles, Bad Company, and Chris Isaak, and various songs compiled from studio sessions held at Austin Enterprise during the late-1990s. The band also recorded a cover of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters", originally scheduled to be released on a split 7-inch vinyl titled Crush 'Em All through Undecided Records. The split was originally to be shared with Converge, and later with Supermachiner, but after falling through, Today Is the Day's song appeared on the Undecided Records Various Artists compilation The Old, the New, the Unreleased in 2005. In 2001, new Today Is the Day songs were released on splits with Metatron and 16, the first new material since 1999.
The new songs put out on the split releases later appeared on Today Is the Day's double album Sadness Will Prevail, released in 2002. For this album Austin chose to work with bassist Chris Debari and drummer Marshall Kilpatric. Today Is the Day also released their second live album entitled Blue Blood in 2002, the album includes live material from the Temple of the Morning Star era.
Today Is the Day returned in June 2004 with a new album entitled Kiss the Pig, which featured the debut of new drummer Mike Rosswog (previously of Circle of Dead Children). Kiss the Pig was the last album released by Today Is the Day on Relapse Records.
Post-Relapse years (2005–2019) In December 2006, it was announced that former Hate Eternal drummer Derek Roddy had joined the band and would appear on their next studio album, Axis of Eden, released in 2007 through SuperNova Records, a label originally set up by Steve Austin to reissue out-of-print material of the band.