Relapse
Last night before my band got together, I grabbed a 6 pack of
Tucher,
smoked a little (not a smart idea when listening to this, mind you) and
decided to give this 2 CD release from one of the pioneers of grating,
noise-experimental ("What-the-fuck-are-you-listening-to-augh-I-can't-take-it anymore,but-after-a-while-the-walls-start-talking-to-you-and-tell-you-to-kill-your-first-born- before-the-next-sunset") sort of death
metal. By the end of it, I was curled up in the fetal position on the rug
in the center of the practice space, talking to the posters on the walls,
muttering indescribable things about how flowers turn to fecal matter
and the
downfall of worth, and drooling alot. But for some reason, it starts to
grow on you. It starts to unlock doors to your mind that were shut a
long time ago. No, make that doors that have been padlocked for your own
good and safety, and the key was discarded in the fireplace, to melt beyond
recognition, to make sure that what has been locked away will not awaken
again. But this seems to bypass all that, and lets those fuckers out again.
Maybe it's better to stay here inside this room than to go outside again.
I'm safe and medicated here where I can do no harm to no one, and none can
be done to me. The four walls offer protection to the world outside, and
it's warm in here, too. My ears then becomes filled with the warped musical
catharsis of the deprived minds come to life in music form that is Today
Is The Day, and I start to feel like William Hurt in
Altered States
suspended in that suspension tank, complete with the animal transformation
sequence. Mr. Austin uses his studio to create a
kaleidoscope of
claustrophobic, psychotic rage dealing with the darker sides of humanity and
human thought that most people want you to forget actually exist. But
they do, and they come out while you're sleeping, and they are
feverishly trying to find a way to fuck your eye sockets after they've gouged out
your eyes. Nice, huh? Some of the best stuff on these 2 CD's is not the
heavier tracks, but the songs that sound like a soundtrack to some old
European horror movie from the late 70's and 80's. Especially on The Ivory
of Self Hate and the extremely creepy Death Requiem. Love the dark piano
work that floats around in those tracks. The door then opens, a ray of fluorescent light streams in, and here comes my band members. They see the empty 6 pack and the blank colorless expression on my face, and they ask me what I've been doing for the past 2 hours. I tell them that I listened to the new Today Is The Day all the way through. Both CD's, too. They look back with disbelief like I just did 5 tours in Nam, with nothing but a butterknife and a pair of brass knuckles. In their heads, they are starting to question my sanity. Eclectic and powerful stuff that can be only taken in small doses, for fear of ones sanity, and I mean that in a good way, too. One of the best releases this year so far.
-Greg Dellaria