#todayistheday — Public Fediverse posts

Today is the Day – Never Give In Review

By Grymm

When we last heard from noise mastermind Steve Austin and his legendary project, Today is the Day, it was with No Good to Anyone, a partly seething, partly mournful, and all-too-sincere portrait highlighting loss, despair, and anger that also possessed an undercurrent of hope. I dug the album considerably, and still view it as an album that should have, by all intents and purposes, brought new eyes and ears towards the band’s direction. Sadly, No Good to Anyone released in early 2020, just as the world was shutting down while Austin and company were on tour for that album. This would understandably send Austin into a depressive tailspin, but one he would claw his way out of, not only by re-opening his label, SuperNova Records, and buying back his entire catalog, but also with the middle finger to adversity and depression, Never Give In.

And before I continue, I just want to toss out a major caveat to those who’ve already made up their minds about the band. Never Give In isn’t going to change your mind if you haven’t connected with Austin or his band before, or if you just flat-out fucking hate their music. Today is the Day has been and always will be operating from a place of sincerity as told through the eyes and throat of its creator without any regard to the listener. Whether it’s the two-plus-hour double album Sadness Will Prevail or the all-out assault of In the Eyes of God or Temple of the Morning Star, Austin’s unflinching vision and honesty isn’t for everyone, as it’s told using what he feels is best for his message, not what others expect from him.

Now with that out of the way, Never Give In, much like its predecessor, sees Austin and company throwing even more curveballs and moods your way, but still retaining the viciousness and transparency of their best work. Opener “Divide and Conquer” comes closest to the industrialized grindcore of their early days, and even then, Austin keeps to a croon throughout, save for the backing screams. Outside of that, though, there are some eyebrow-raisers. “Secret Police,” another grindy slab of punked-out riffage, features a horn section that reminds me of Cake in an odd-but-good way.1 Closer “The Cleansing” channels Austin’s inner Neil Young, pulling his love of Americana into a tale of a love gone wrong.

With all that said, not all of Never Give In sticks its landing. “I Got Nothin'” meanders a bit too long in one spot until the song’s final third, which is when Austin switches things up a little. “Pain and Frustration,” while featuring some phenomenal drumming by Colin Frecknall, also gets a bit stagnant as the song wears on. In fact, looking over my notes, it’s when Austin goes outside of his (and the listeners’) comfort zones that yield the best results on Never Give In. Going a bit further, I can say the same with Today is the Day’s collective output: the more daring the approach and delivery, the more visceral the result.

But at the end of the day, I’m but a witness to the storytelling of someone who’s not afraid to share his experiences in all their glories and ugliness, and the fact that we have yet more Today is the Day, given all that Austin’s had to endure, between loss, homelessness, and car crashes, is to be celebrated. It takes guts to paint an honest picture, and no one is as unflinching at it as Steve Austin. Like Chat Pile, Never Give In (and Today is the Day in general) may not be for everyone, but for those who appreciate it, they will have a lot to look forward to.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: SuperNova Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 3rd, 2025

#2025 #35 #Americana #Cake #ChatPile #Grindcore #NeverGiveIn #NoiseMetal #Oct25 #Review #Reviews #SuperNovaRecords #TodayIsTheDay

Full of Hell – Coagulated Bliss Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

If you’ve been following the modern grindcore scene in any fashion over the past fifteen years, then you’ve at least heard of Maryland’s high-output, low-trend grindmongers Full of Hell. Collaborating or splitting space with everyone from tough punks Code Orange1 to Japanese static spinner Merzbow to pneumatic pulse demons The Body, Full of Hell scrapes ideas from every corner in the extreme music space to fuel the iterative process of the twenty to thirty-minute burners that are their “full-length” releases. In the truest sense, this eclectic and thirsty act follows the crack of their own whip, but when it comes to the stage that bears only Full of Hell in title, the path steers a touch more straightforward, though not quite predictable. Nevertheless, with the dial cranked to grind and a color palette that screams anti-monochromatic, does Coagulated Bliss amass all the right parts?

In many ways Coagulated Bliss is the Full of Hell we’ve come to expect, its bleeding extremities of punch-and-cackle powerviolence (“Doors to Mental Agony”), playful industrial deathgrind (“Fractured Bonds to Mecca”), drag ’em bleeding sludge (“Bleeding Horizon”), and unshackled grindcore (“Vomiting Glass”) congealing into a boisterous sonic injection. However, much like higher-treble back half of 2021’s Garden of Burning Apparitions and the whole of 2022’s Aurora Leaking from an Open Wound continued, Full of Hell has adopted a stronger penchant for groove and noise rock-infused, treble-loaded licks. No, Full of Hell does not suddenly sound like Melvins or The Jesus Lizard, but this incorporation of twangy, tasty tunes does help them come across more like the barking, manic side of Today Is the Day on a mystery bag of pills with one labeled ‘grindcore’ (“Coagulated Bliss,” “Gelding of Man”).2 And though the average BPM may render a bit lower than the most aggressive Full of Hell releases, but that doesn’t stop them from sneaking in a Discordance Axis riff or six.

A shift like this requires smart songwriting and a production job highlighting the force of new convictions. Freed from the chains of Kurt Ballou’s (Converge) hammering soundboard touch, both the growling lows and warm, twisting highs find new space to hook with vicious intent (“Half Life of Changelings,” “Coagulated Bliss”), ironically in the manner similar to 00s Converge classics like Jane Doe or Axe to Fall. And though Dave Bland’s (Jarhead Fertilizer) kit has remained reliably savage throughout Full of Hell’s catalog, booming industrial reverb cranks the assault of the most martial tracks (“Doors to Mental Agony,” “Fractured Bonds to Mecca,” “Gelding of Men”), and the traditionally speedy numbers, murderous cymbal crashes lay littered with interjecting tom scatters and cymbal drives that drill the ears with loving precision. Whether Full of Hell is channeling Thou (“Bleeding Horizon”) or Terrorizer (“Gasping Dust”), the space and pace of each moment feels natural in its intensity, a stark contrast to the oppressive landscape in which this band has previously existed.

However more approachable it may seem, Coagulated Bliss isn’t a turn toward the accessible. If anything, this breezier distillation of Dylan Walker’s paint-stripping shrieks and gutter punk tongue-lashing puts his inimitable incantations3 at the forefront in a frighteningly catchy way. With rhythms to which you could reasonably twerk, 4 it’s easier than ever to pick up a lyrics sheet and at least try to croak (inadvisably) along to the hypnotic swing of “Doors to Mental Agony” or provide the demonic guttural accompaniment to “Schizoid Rupture.” At first, this did make Ross Dolan’s (Immolation) punchy verse contribution on “Gasping Dust” and Jacob Bannon’s (Converge) goblin garble on “Malformed Ligature” feel like slightly lesser cuts. But with time and repeat exposure, the resplendence that Full of Hell can find in this soured worldview pours through these late-album swings all the same.

As a long-time enjoyer of Full of Hell, I’ve always hoped to come across one of their records that could feel like an ‘any day’ kind of jam. These contemporary torchbearers have always seemed to scoff at the notion though, with each of their efforts brimming and bursting with a talent so raw and crushing that the zig-zag experience would come across as impressive rather than attachable. Expansive in soundscape, focused in its weird expression, and reliable in foothold to the grind, Coagulated Bliss feeds a shredded, rocking, great time effortlessly.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Closed Casket Activities | Bandcamp
Website: fullofhell.com | fullofhell.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/fullofhell
Releases Worldwide: April 26th, 2024

#2024 #40 #AmericanMetal #Apr24 #ClosedCasketActivities #CoagulatedBliss #Converge #Deathgrind #DiscordanceAxis #FullOfHell #Grind #Grindcore #IndustrialDeathgrind #JarheadFertilizer #Melvins #NoiseRock #Review #Reviews #Sludge #Terrorizer #TheBody #TheJesusLizard #TheMelvins #Thou #TodayIsTheDay #Turian

Full of Hell – Coagulated Bliss Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

If you’ve been following the modern grindcore scene in any fashion over the past fifteen years, then you’ve at least heard of Maryland’s high-output, low-trend grindmongers Full of Hell. Collaborating or splitting space with everyone from tough punks Code Orange1 to Japanese static spinner Merzbow to pneumatic pulse demons The Body, Full of Hell scrapes ideas from every corner in the extreme music space to fuel the iterative process of the twenty to thirty-minute burners that are their “full-length” releases. In the truest sense, this eclectic and thirsty act follows the crack of their own whip, but when it comes to the stage that bears only Full of Hell in title, the path steers a touch more straightforward, though not quite predictable. Nevertheless, with the dial cranked to grind and a color palette that screams anti-monochromatic, does Coagulated Bliss amass all the right parts?

In many ways Coagulated Bliss is the Full of Hell we’ve come to expect, its bleeding extremities of punch-and-cackle powerviolence (“Doors to Mental Agony”), playful industrial deathgrind (“Fractured Bonds to Mecca”), drag ’em bleeding sludge (“Bleeding Horizon”), and unshackled grindcore (“Vomiting Glass”) congealing into a boisterous sonic injection. However, much like higher-treble back half of 2021’s Garden of Burning Apparitions and the whole of 2022’s Aurora Leaking from an Open Wound continued, Full of Hell has adopted a stronger penchant for groove and noise rock-infused, treble-loaded licks. No, Full of Hell does not suddenly sound like Melvins or The Jesus Lizard, but this incorporation of twangy, tasty tunes does help them come across more like the barking, manic side of Today Is the Day on a mystery bag of pills with one labeled ‘grindcore’ (“Coagulated Bliss,” “Gelding of Man”).2 And though the average BPM may render a bit lower than the most aggressive Full of Hell releases, but that doesn’t stop them from sneaking in a Discordance Axis riff or six.

A shift like this requires smart songwriting and a production job highlighting the force of new convictions. Freed from the chains of Kurt Ballou’s (Converge) hammering soundboard touch, both the growling lows and warm, twisting highs find new space to hook with vicious intent (“Half Life of Changelings,” “Coagulated Bliss”), ironically in the manner similar to 00s Converge classics like Jane Doe or Axe to Fall. And though Dave Bland’s (Jarhead Fertilizer) kit has remained reliably savage throughout Full of Hell’s catalog, booming industrial reverb cranks the assault of the most martial tracks (“Doors to Mental Agony,” “Fractured Bonds to Mecca,” “Gelding of Men”), and the traditionally speedy numbers, murderous cymbal crashes lay littered with interjecting tom scatters and cymbal drives that drill the ears with loving precision. Whether Full of Hell is channeling Thou (“Bleeding Horizon”) or Terrorizer (“Gasping Dust”), the space and pace of each moment feels natural in its intensity, a stark contrast to the oppressive landscape in which this band has previously existed.

However more approachable it may seem, Coagulated Bliss isn’t a turn toward the accessible. If anything, this breezier distillation of Dylan Walker’s paint-stripping shrieks and gutter punk tongue-lashing puts his inimitable incantations3 at the forefront in a frighteningly catchy way. With rhythms to which you could reasonably twerk, 4 it’s easier than ever to pick up a lyrics sheet and at least try to croak (inadvisably) along to the hypnotic swing of “Doors to Mental Agony” or provide the demonic guttural accompaniment to “Schizoid Rupture.” At first, this did make Ross Dolan’s (Immolation) punchy verse contribution on “Gasping Dust” and Jacob Bannon’s (Converge) goblin garble on “Malformed Ligature” feel like slightly lesser cuts. But with time and repeat exposure, the resplendence that Full of Hell can find in this soured worldview pours through these late-album swings all the same.

As a long-time enjoyer of Full of Hell, I’ve always hoped to come across one of their records that could feel like an ‘any day’ kind of jam. These contemporary torchbearers have always seemed to scoff at the notion though, with each of their efforts brimming and bursting with a talent so raw and crushing that the zig-zag experience would come across as impressive rather than attachable. Expansive in soundscape, focused in its weird expression, and reliable in foothold to the grind, Coagulated Bliss feeds a shredded, rocking, great time effortlessly.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Closed Casket Activities | Bandcamp
Website: fullofhell.com | fullofhell.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/fullofhell
Releases Worldwide: April 26th, 2024

#2024 #40 #AmericanMetal #Apr24 #ClosedCasketActivities #CoagulatedBliss #Converge #Deathgrind #DiscordanceAxis #FullOfHell #Grind #Grindcore #IndustrialDeathgrind #JarheadFertilizer #Melvins #NoiseRock #Review #Reviews #Sludge #Terrorizer #TheBody #TheJesusLizard #TheMelvins #Thou #TodayIsTheDay #Turian

Full of Hell – Coagulated Bliss Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

If you’ve been following the modern grindcore scene in any fashion over the past fifteen years, then you’ve at least heard of Maryland’s high-output, low-trend grindmongers Full of Hell. Collaborating or splitting space with everyone from tough punks Code Orange1 to Japanese static spinner Merzbow to pneumatic pulse demons The Body, Full of Hell scrapes ideas from every corner in the extreme music space to fuel the iterative process of the twenty to thirty-minute burners that are their “full-length” releases. In the truest sense, this eclectic and thirsty act follows the crack of their own whip, but when it comes to the stage that bears only Full of Hell in title, the path steers a touch more straightforward, though not quite predictable. Nevertheless, with the dial cranked to grind and a color palette that screams anti-monochromatic, does Coagulated Bliss amass all the right parts?

In many ways Coagulated Bliss is the Full of Hell we’ve come to expect, its bleeding extremities of punch-and-cackle powerviolence (“Doors to Mental Agony”), playful industrial deathgrind (“Fractured Bonds to Mecca”), drag ’em bleeding sludge (“Bleeding Horizon”), and unshackled grindcore (“Vomiting Glass”) congealing into a boisterous sonic injection. However, much like higher-treble back half of 2021’s Garden of Burning Apparitions and the whole of 2022’s Aurora Leaking from an Open Wound continued, Full of Hell has adopted a stronger penchant for groove and noise rock-infused, treble-loaded licks. No, Full of Hell does not suddenly sound like Melvins or The Jesus Lizard, but this incorporation of twangy, tasty tunes does help them come across more like the barking, manic side of Today Is the Day on a mystery bag of pills with one labeled ‘grindcore’ (“Coagulated Bliss,” “Gelding of Man”).2 And though the average BPM may render a bit lower than the most aggressive Full of Hell releases, but that doesn’t stop them from sneaking in a Discordance Axis riff or six.

A shift like this requires smart songwriting and a production job highlighting the force of new convictions. Freed from the chains of Kurt Ballou’s (Converge) hammering soundboard touch, both the growling lows and warm, twisting highs find new space to hook with vicious intent (“Half Life of Changelings,” “Coagulated Bliss”), ironically in the manner similar to 00s Converge classics like Jane Doe or Axe to Fall. And though Dave Bland’s (Jarhead Fertilizer) kit has remained reliably savage throughout Full of Hell’s catalog, booming industrial reverb cranks the assault of the most martial tracks (“Doors to Mental Agony,” “Fractured Bonds to Mecca,” “Gelding of Men”), and the traditionally speedy numbers, murderous cymbal crashes lay littered with interjecting tom scatters and cymbal drives that drill the ears with loving precision. Whether Full of Hell is channeling Thou (“Bleeding Horizon”) or Terrorizer (“Gasping Dust”), the space and pace of each moment feels natural in its intensity, a stark contrast to the oppressive landscape in which this band has previously existed.

However more approachable it may seem, Coagulated Bliss isn’t a turn toward the accessible. If anything, this breezier distillation of Dylan Walker’s paint-stripping shrieks and gutter punk tongue-lashing puts his inimitable incantations3 at the forefront in a frighteningly catchy way. With rhythms to which you could reasonably twerk, 4 it’s easier than ever to pick up a lyrics sheet and at least try to croak (inadvisably) along to the hypnotic swing of “Doors to Mental Agony” or provide the demonic guttural accompaniment to “Schizoid Rupture.” At first, this did make Ross Dolan’s (Immolation) punchy verse contribution on “Gasping Dust” and Jacob Bannon’s (Converge) goblin garble on “Malformed Ligature” feel like slightly lesser cuts. But with time and repeat exposure, the resplendence that Full of Hell can find in this soured worldview pours through these late-album swings all the same.

As a long-time enjoyer of Full of Hell, I’ve always hoped to come across one of their records that could feel like an ‘any day’ kind of jam. These contemporary torchbearers have always seemed to scoff at the notion though, with each of their efforts brimming and bursting with a talent so raw and crushing that the zig-zag experience would come across as impressive rather than attachable. Expansive in soundscape, focused in its weird expression, and reliable in foothold to the grind, Coagulated Bliss feeds a shredded, rocking, great time effortlessly.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Closed Casket Activities | Bandcamp
Website: fullofhell.com | fullofhell.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/fullofhell
Releases Worldwide: April 26th, 2024

#2024 #40 #AmericanMetal #Apr24 #ClosedCasketActivities #CoagulatedBliss #Converge #Deathgrind #DiscordanceAxis #FullOfHell #Grind #Grindcore #IndustrialDeathgrind #JarheadFertilizer #Melvins #NoiseRock #Review #Reviews #Sludge #Terrorizer #TheBody #TheJesusLizard #TheMelvins #Thou #TodayIsTheDay #Turian