Location: Orland, Maine
Country: USA
Genre: Psychedelic metal, noise rock
Full length: Never Give In
Format: Digital, CD
Label: SuperNova Records
Release date: October 3, 2025
"Never Give In" may not be the first to capture the uncertainty brought on by the pandemic or the frustration with the current political climate in the U.S., but it stands out for its ambition. It embodies the resilient spirit that metal has always represented and continues to represent. It showcases a commitment to not be silenced and to carve out one’s own journey despite adversity, particularly now when this message is more relevant than ever.
Today is the Day’s fourteenth album is a two-part conceptual project created by founding member Steve Austin. He initiated this endeavor after establishing his own label SuperNova Records as a means to cope with the significant impact Covid had on him. This label also includes the re-release of his band's back catalogue in partnership with The Orchard/Sony.
Prior to engaging with this recording, the song titles themselves imply a bleak view of dystopian societies and oppressed populations, further detailed in the lyrics Austin crafted for each track. Rather than merely listing society's woes, this serves as a representation of what those in authority are constructing for us, with the aspiration that we can extricate ourselves from this morass and eventually improve our circumstances, as we’ve managed to do on a few occasions.
"Never Give In" serves as the initial segment of this narrative; the follow-up segment is scheduled for release next year. If you immerse yourself in these nine tracks, they’ll be more than enough to generate anticipation for the next chapter. But be forewarned: this is not a hopeful portrayal of the current state of the world. It contains vivid depictions of spiraling staircases of animosity, solitude, self-loathing, and mental conflict.
The repetitive nature of the vocals and verses, with elements of thrash, goth rock, grunge, electronica, industrial, jazz and doom rock, combined with mesmerizing ambient tones, contribute to the bleak subject matter. Additional vocal effects, including whispers, agonized cries of anguish, harsh electronic backing vocals, and monotone speeches, contribute a range of tormented thoughts and emotions as impactful as the diverse musical influences.
The distinctions among the tracks create a disjointed album characterized by unpredictability, which piqued my curiosity about how they intend to advance this narrative on their next album. What will the extent of their musical range be, and will the tone of the lyrics maintain the same level of angst and nihilism as it does here? I’m eager to see the extent to which they’ll exercise this much creative license with the resources they possess, or compound on it. –Dave Wolff
Lineup:
Steve Austin: Guitar, vocals, electronics, Moog Sub37
Colin Frecknall: Drums and percussion
Tom Jack: Bass
Guest muscians:
Dave Brenner of Gridfailure: Vocals and keys on “Secret Police”
Mac Gollehon: Horns on “Secret Police”
Aaron Polk - Drums on “Psychic Woun
Track list:
1. Divide and Conquer
2. I Got Nothin'
3. Intentional Psychological Warfare
6. Psychic Wound
7. The Choice Is Yours
9. The Cleansing
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