Today is the Day — Sadness Will Prevail
It seems as though Today is the Day can't sit still, stylistically, for more than one album at a time. They're constantly redefining themselves. Maybe it's because Steve Austin encourages the musicians he enlists for his albums to do whatever they feel like, and to not be obligated to sticking with the band for any predetermined amount of time. The last Today is the Day album, In the Eyes of God, was a technical grindcore maelstrom that spewed forth songs that were short and to-the-point. Each track clocking in at about one minute or so, you barely had enough time to blink before the next song began. They compensated for the short tracks by increasing the quantity, though; so when all was said and done, the album sustained it's frenetic rage through the course of 20 tracks -- more than satisfying the most stalwart Today is the Day devotee. The albums preceding In the Eyes of God showed a more experimental Today is the Day, and yes, with completely different lineups (save Mr. Austin.) The music ranged from dark, atmospheric songs with disturbing keyboard/synth lines generously sprinkled throughout to mid-paced sludge fests. This schizophrenic change of styles would eventually coalesce and work it's way onto one of Mr. Austin's opuses (no, not 'Mr. Holland's Opus'); it was bound to happen, and it did so on Sadness Will Prevail.
Sadness will Prevail is a double album (as previously mentioned.) Instead of settling for the norm and labeling each respective CD "CD 1" and "CD 2," Steve Austin decided to take an unconventional route (which isn't suprising, considering the rather unconventional nature of his music,) and labeled them "X" and "Y."
The first part album the album, CD "X," is a mixture of their more ambitious experimentalism and their more straight-forward grind-inflected noise bursts. Seth Putnam (Anal Cunt) "sings" on track 5 of CD "Y", which is -- believe it or not -- one of the better tracks on the album. They really let him cut loose, and with his off-the-wall vocal chaos juxtaposed against a backdrop of clashing dissonance (which sounds may not sound so good in print, but once you hear the actual song, it's very impressive.) For a brief moment you feel like you're bearing witness to someone experiencing a mental breakdown. The majority of CD "X" will most likely appeal to someone looking for something that "rocks" a bit more.
CD "Y" contains the bulk of the more experimental and noise-oriented material. There's a few guest collaborations from the industrial-tinged dark ambient band, Amber Asylum. Now you're probably thinking "what the hell are members of Amber Asylum doing on a Today is the Day album? Has Steve Austin gone dark ambient? Has he decided to cash in his chips and let his albums be filled with haunting violin and cello passages?" The members of Amber Asylum in no way rob Today of the Day of it's sole essence. They only help to further flesh out the music to assist Steve Austin in achieving his ultimate artisitic vision. I truely think that their presence only makes the album all the more disturbing. Their artsy Swans-esque chamber-rock meets industrial soundscapes (complementary of the violin and cello,) only add a more eerie ambience to the Today is the Day collective than there ever has been in the past. The 23 minute epic, Never Answer the Phone samples lines from the movie Memento while the feedback from the guitar slowly builds up and is eventually placed against an atmospheric synth wash and some very busy drumming. Overall, the CD "Y" is for the more adventurous listener, or those who already have an inclination towards experimental noisecore.
There's only one gripe I have with Sadness will Prevail, and that's the inconsistent production. It's understandable that the sound quality fluctuates from having a very thick low-end to being somewhat hollow and trebley because the album was recorded over the course of almost 3 years; but a little more care should have been put into the post-production to have tidied up the overall quality. This doesn't really have much of an impact on the songs themselves though (which are all excellent.)
Today is the Day has had a long and unstable career, lineup wise, but the driving force behind the band, Steve Austin, has always managed to constantly churn out challenging and compelling albums. Sure, no two Today is the Day albums are alike, but that's what makes "them" (being Steve Austin, primarily) such a great band. The unpredicability keeps the band constantly fresh. Sadness will Prevail is yet another chapter in the Today is the Day book, and it aptly chronicles the evolution of the band into the experimental juggernaut that they are today.