Today Is The Day's Steve Austin
Photo: Wade Gosselin

If nothing else, Today Is the Day are an excellent breeding ground for up-and-coming musicians. Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor played on Today Is the Day's 1999 album, In the Eyes of God — with Kelliher on bass — and Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton guested on 2002's Sadness Will Prevail. Also, former Esoteric drummer Marshall Kilpatric rocked with the Nashville noise-metal group between 2001 and 2003.

But with Today Is the Day's upcoming album, Axis of Eden (scheduled for September 18), frontman Steve Austin hopes his band will finally be able to break out of the underground and spread its chaotic music and message to a larger audience.

"It seems to me like a lot of people are finding out about us through these other bands, and they're going, 'Wow, this seems like a seminal thing. I wonder what this sh--'s about?' " Austin explained. "So, maybe they'll check out our new record, which, in my opinion, is the best ... thing we've ever done. And, hopefully, it will blow these people away and open a new dimension for them."

Austin, who just finished mixing Axis of Eden, says the new material is eclectic and intense, incorporating elements of extreme metal, psychedelia and even world music. "No song is like the last, and it's a crazy sonic journey," Austin said. "It's really hard to pin down or describe, but I love it because it's like a big, wild art project."

Axis of Eden will be the first Today Is the Day album since 2004's Kiss the Pig, and a lot has happened in those three years. The group has been through four drummers: Mike Rosswog (ex-Circle of Dead Children), who played on Kiss the Pig, quit because he didn't want to tour; Jeff Lohrber played in the group for eight months but left in November 2005 because of "personal and music differences with Austin"; and Graham Leduc stayed just long enough to record demos for Axis of Eden before taking off. However, it's the band's newest drummer, Derek Roddy (ex-Hate Eternal, Malevolent Creation), who really has Austin jazzed.

"He does some of the most extreme and inventive extreme playing I've ever heard," Austin said. "His style is his own and you can't pin him down to one genre of music. He's so super-versatile it blows my mind and allows us to do things musically we previously couldn't do. And he's so dedicated. When he first contacted me, I said, 'Do you want to hear a copy of the songs before you commit to doing it?' and he said, 'No, are you kidding me? We're doing this. I'm down. I'm not just gonna play in the studio. I love Today Is the Day and I want to make it clear that I'm in this band and doing sh-- with you.' And I was like, 'Damn, that's exactly what I need.' "

Austin started writing songs for Axis of Eden three years ago and began tracking late last year. By January, the album was mostly finished, and he has spent the last seven months fine-tuning the songs, which include "No Lung Baby," "Free at Last," "If You Want Peace, Prepare for War" and "IED." While Today Is the Day delved into politics on Kiss the Pig, the new record is an even more scathing indictment of modern society and the current administration.

"This album definitely has a military and militant feeling to it," he said. "I'm just trying to expose what's really going on right now with planet Earth. The title is obviously a play on the term 'axis of evil,' and it's a reference to the religious right in America and the power and control they have over things that are going on within government."

For Austin, the jarring rhythmic changes, schizophrenic style shifts and overall intensity of Axis of Eden is a reflection not only of the turbulence and volatility he sees domestically and internationally, but also of the radical mood swings he undergoes on a daily basis.

"This album has some pretty brain-concussion-causing moments," he said. "It's disturbing but yet lulling at the same time, and that's because, pretty much, that's my life. It seems to run at either extreme highs or extreme lows. Even though things are good in the Austin camp, I still feel like we, as a family, are still fighting the struggle every day against 'The Man' and everything that's going on in the world. It seems like it never ends, but you've just gotta stay at the forefront and be honest and true with what you're doing and not give up the fight."

Having fulfilled Today Is the Day's contract with Relapse Records, Austin will release Axis of Eden on SuperNova Records, the label he launched in October. On August 7, the label will precede the new record with numerous releases: a reissue of the band's 1994 album, Willpower; a live DVD from the Willpower tour; a self-titled live DVD from a 1996 concert in New York; and an album by Austin and bassist Chris Debari's punk side project Taipan. Also that day, SuperNova will release the self-titled debut by New Jersey band Diesel Theory. Albums by SuperNova's other bands, Christine and Defcon 4, will follow, and on September 13 in Boston, the label will launch a tour featuring Today Is the Day, Taipan, Christine and Defcon 4. Dates are scheduled through October 16 in Nashville.

Even if Today Is the Day don't break into the mainstream with their new release, judging by the tour plans, Austin might have a promising future as a crafty label man. "Taipan's going to open the show and play a 25-minute punk-rock set, because we really want people to see Christine and Defcon 4," Austin said. "So, if people go, 'Hey, I gotta check out Taipan,' they'll already be there and they have to see the other two bands as well."

The rest of the week's metal news:

We all know Metallica have been busy working on their next album with producer Rick Rubin (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slayer), but little has been revealed about the thrash icons' first collection of new songs since 2003's St. Anger. But at least one dude outside the band has heard some of the fresh stuff: Velvet Revolver's Matt Sorum. In a recent RollingStone.com interview, Sorum said his good pal Lars Ulrich has played him some of the new songs. "I turned and looked at him and I said, 'Master that sh-- and put it out.' It's ridiculous," Sorum said. "The demos were sick. Eight-minute songs, all these tempo changes, crazy fast. It's like, 'Dude, don't get slower when you get older, but don't get faster!? How are you going to play this live?' I dig it. I'm really excited for them." ...

There's a whole heap of Ozzfest news to report this week. First off, Mondo Generator, the band fronted by former Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri, has dropped off the trek, citing "matters beyond the band's control." While he didn't get into specifics, Oliveri said in a statement that, "We tried everything in our power to make things work so that we could remain on tour, but it is impossible for us to continue touring at this time." He apologized for letting down the fans and thanked the Osbournes for giving the Generator a slot on the second-stage bill. Meanwhile, a broken-down bus prevented Nile from performing during Ozzfest's Tuesday stop in Phoenix. The band rejoined the tour Thursday in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Lastly, Warped Tour organizer Kevin Lyman has aired his feelings about the trek's free tickets, telling The Kansas City Star, "It allowed Ozzy Osbourne to get one more paycheck out of [Ozzfest], to be 100 percent honest." Lyman didn't hold back, going on to comment about tour founder Sharon Osbourne: "[She's] a smart person, but basically that's what it is. It's a ploy, straight-up. ... She was struggling to put [together a bill] because she keeps charging more and more and selling less and less tickets. The attendance of that tour has been dropping for many years, and she keeps having to spend more on the talent to get people to the shows." ...

Slayer's Kerry King plans to relaunch his clothing line, KFK Industries, but with a new name: KFK Ministries. He plans to release several T-shirts, stickers and skullcaps through the company. In related news, Slayer's entire catalogue will be reissued sometime in the near future, through Sony BMG's Legacy imprint. There's no word yet on when those LPs will be in stores, or what new material they might feature. ... Swedish metal merchants Soilwork have titled their next studio offering Sworn to a Great Divide. The October set, the vocals for which were produced by Strapping Young Lad mastermind Devin Townsend, will feature 11 tracks, including "Breeding Thorns," "I, Vermin" and "As the Sleeper Awakes." ... A severe neck prolapse that is causing numbing in his right arm has sidelined Dimmu Borgir drummer Hellhammer, who will miss the band's upcoming European festival appearances. Hellhammer is expected to seek treatment, which may involve surgery, for his condition. In his place will be Tony Laureano, who played for Dimmu during the band's Ozzfest 2004 stint. ...

All That Remains are putting the finishing touches on their first DVD. The release will boast footage from two of the New England metal outfit's live shows, along with music videos, fan and band interviews, and other leftover footage, some of which dates back to 2004. Expect the DVD in stores sometime in the fall. ... After five years, Abacus Records has officially ceased operations, and portions of the former Century Media imprint will now be folded back into the label, with some Abacus bands transferring over to the latter. Details regarding the shakeup are few, but we'll keep you posted as information is released. ... Dying Fetus have a new drummer in Trey Williams, who has worked with Covenance, Severed Head and Tortured in the past. He replaces Duane Timlin, who was fired due to unspecified "touring difficulties." ...

A Life Once Lost and August Burns Red will join forces in September for a run of U.S. gigs. So far, just 10 dates have been confirmed: The first is set for September 7 in Portland, Maine, and the jaunt runs through September 16 in Poughkeepsie, New York. ... Calico System have called it a day. Guitarist Rick Giordano said in a statement that it just "didn't make sense" for the St. Louis metallers "to remain a band anymore. Music rules, but the music business sucks and had taken its toll on all of us." He promises a farewell tour somewhere down the line but wasn't sure when the trek would commence — he mentioned fall as a possibility. Original guitarist Shawn Keith also got in his own two cents about the split. "When we got signed back in 2003, everything about the music and scene was completely different," he said in a statement. "You did not have MySpace to blow your band up and you actually had to have a record deal before any type of hype could be built around your band other than touring. We booked DIY tours early on before we were signed and put in the work. It was a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but at the end of the day, when everything is pointing against you, then you just have to simply say, 'It is time to move on.' " He added that he and drummer Erik Ramsier quit the band months ago to pursue other projects. ...

Fans of Florida death-metal extremists Hate Eternal will soon see a fresh face behind the drumkit. The band has added Jade Simonetto to the fold — he replaces Derek Roddy, who left the Hate more than a year ago because of internal strife within the group. Frontman Erik Rutan said in a statement that he's been working with Simonetto for six months now, "and his incredible skill and dedication to extreme drumming and groove has made him the perfect drummer for Hate Eternal. We jell on everything from all the old songs to the new, and the [creative] process has been amazing." Hate Eternal have been working on material for their next LP, which is being eyed for an early 2008 release. ... An October 9 release date has been set in stone for Overkill's forthcoming album, Immortalis. An announcement regarding an East Coast tour around the record's release is expected in the coming weeks. ...

The Henge, the debut solo album from Zombi's Steve Moore, will hit stores in October. Moore self-recorded the LP, which will feature "Infinite Resignation," "Dead Tide" and "Cepheid." "This album represents a turning point in my writing — a subtle shift in direction that is only apparent when considering the album as a whole," he said in a statement. "While no track is too far removed from the harmonic language I create through my work with Zombi, this album gives me a chance to expand my tonal palette by experimenting with different instrumentations." ... The lineup continues to take shape for next year's Maryland Deathfest, which is scheduled for May 24-25 at the Sonar in Baltimore. So far, the 'fest's organizers have booked Behold ... the Arctopus, Impaled, Squash Bowels, Coffins and the Day Everything Became Nothing. ... In other festival news, the Indianapolis Metal Fest has been scheduled for September 22 and will take over two venues in Indiana's capital: the KOC Grand Ballroom and Birdy's Bar & Grill. So far, Obituary, Full Blown Chaos, Daath, Beneath the Sky, Hemlock and Single Bullet Theory have been confirmed for the lineup.

• Today is the Day
• Mastodon
• Metallica
• Velvet Revolver
• Queens of the Stone Age

Neurosis
Photo: Neurot Recordings

PHILADELPHIA — A sub-freezing Philly was the setting for the Relapse Contamination Festival, a two-day event showcasing the best in metal, heavy rock and grindcore, all from the staple label in that scene, Relapse Records.

Saturday's kickoff at the legendary Trocadero club consisted of Bongzilla, Alabama Thunderpussy, Cephalic Carnage, Mastodon and Neurosis, who were playing their first East Coast gig in three years. The Trocadero was packed early for the show and the fans seemed like an army, uniformed in work pants, jeans, black sneakers or boots, black hooded sweatshirts, ski caps and big work coats — even the girls.

First up was Bongzilla. The band takes thick, Black Sabbath riffs and combines them with screeching vocals and weird mood shifts. During their opening song, guitarist/vocalist Mike Makela blew out his amp, and there was a bit too much downtime before the group resumed its set and continued to play songs from its new album, Gateway, as well as older material. All in all, Bongzilla were capable but a bit boring. Their songs are great but their stage presence is a little less than exciting.

The next band out of the stable was Alabama Thunderpussy, who hit the stage with all cylinders firing. They're straight-up killer, smash face, southern rock, like ZZ Top with a trash metal infusion. Frontman Johnny Throckmorton was in full Ronnie Van Zant mode, swinging the mic stand and ripping through songs off their new album, Staring Into the Divine. Guitarist Erik Larson (ex-Avail drummer) said after the show that he's putting out a solo record called Resounding on Small Stone Records. "I played everything except bass," Larson said. "It's different than anything else I've done."

After the moonshine metal of Alabama Thunderpussy, it was time for the straight death metal sounds of Cephalic Carnage. Cephalic is your basic prog-metal, face-bashing, ear- bleeding music. The band seemed to be able to bring to life some of the songs off their album Lucid Interval which lay flat on the record itself. However, as good as Cephalic were, nothing could prepare the audience for the power and tight-as-hell live show of the new band on the scene, Mastadon.

The crowd had been buzzing about Mastodon all night, especially about the tension between them and grindcore kings Today Is the Day, who were playing Sunday. It seemed that Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher — both former members of Today Is the Day — left the band on less than good terms. Fans felt tension between the groups, but a Relapse representative said, "That's simply not true. They're civil to each other." Mastodon took to the stage and crushed through their 40-minute set of songs from their 2002 debut, Remissions. Mastodon could be considered the second coming of Metallica and Rush combined, and nobody who's seen them live could counter that opinion.

The long-awaited apex of day one came when Neurosis hit the stage. They brought the crowd to its feet, where it would stay for the rest of the show. Neurosis' slow, sludgy sound grew slowly until it enveloped the audience. Complete with constant moving images behind them, Neurosis are not just a band to see, they're an experience that makes you sit, thinking dark thoughts about your life and those you love. Using space, heavy riffs, slow pacing and time changes, Neurosis became a single-minded living machine that moved the audience, dissected us, and then put us back together. Blowing through songs stretching from Enemy of the Sun all the way to their new album, A Sun That Never Sets, Neurosis delivered the show fans wanted to see after three years: big, scary, sensitive and totally honest.

The next day, Philly was still freezing but the crowd returned to the Trocadero to witness the advance screening of Neurosis' new DVD for A Sun That Never Sets. The DVD had lots of eclectic art pieces, snippets of videos and other visual themes over music from the new album, but it was an odd way to start a rock show. The crowd seemed a bit listless, but that ended as soon as Pig Destroyer hit the scene, slapping the crowd awake with their skull-crushing, no-nonsense grindcore. They mostly played songs off their new release, Prowler in the Yard, and one untitled track off their upcoming unreleased LP. The crowd went nuts, kicking up more pit action than the night before.

Almost as soon as Pig Destroyer were off the stage, post-hardcore grind masters Burnt by the Sun were out and unleashing on the crowd, with Dave Witte proving why he's one of the greatest drummers out today. Burnt by the Sun did almost the entire new album and seemed to hold the energy that Pig Destroyer had created. The band rarely disappoints.

Next up was the most insane display of the evening, from Today Is the Day. Though not everybody was happy with their new two-disc release, Sadness Will Prevail, Today Is the Day brought it to the crowd in a big way. By the end of their set, frontman Steve Austin had thrown his $2,500 Paul Reed Smith into the crowd and bassist Chris Debari had a head gash, complete with blood. Not everybody loved it, but nobody took their eyes off of it.

The final two bands of the night were High on Fire and the Dillinger Escape Plan. High on Fire proved they are rock gods by playing a fierce combination of Celtic Frost heaviness and the rock sensibilities of Kyuss or Black Sabbath. They stomped through songs off last year's Surrounded by Thieves and threw in a cover of Venom's "Witching Hour." Ending the whole festival was the Dillinger Escape plan, the grindcore/metal outfit that sounds like calculus played through loud amps and tuned down to heavy-as-hell tuning. Sometimes violent, often hard to listen to but always cutting edge, Dillinger had the most interesting set of the night with two covers (Nine Inch Nails' "Wish" and Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy") as well as a small fire breaking out onstage thanks to a pyro mishap. I was hoping against hope that Mike Patton would show up onstage since they'd worked with him on the new Dillinger EP, Irony Is a Dead Scene, but no such luck.

When relative quiet returned to the Troc, a drained but satisfied crowd funneled out into the single-digit temperatures. Pondering the possibility of making this an annual event, one of Relapse's bigwigs, Carl Schultz, said, "I don't know, but it'll be next year, definitely."

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

— Iann Robinson

• Neurosis
• Pig Destroyer
• Today is the Day