In September 1994, Today Is The Day saw its popularity in the metal underground gather steam with the release of their second album, entitled Willpower. That same year, Willpower was followed by the Clusterfuck '94 split EP with labelmates Chokebore and Guzzard. Today Is The Day made another appearance on 7" that year, as they contributed to the tenth volume of AmRep's Dope-Guns-'N-Fucking In The Streets 7" series with Brainiac and Steel Pole Bath Tub.
Today Is The Day's eponymously-titled March 1996 effort furthered the band's legacy within the metal community. This album was the first Today Is The Day release recorded at Austin's own studio, Austin Enterprise, in Nashville. For this release, Steve Austin shifted the band's sound slightly and opted to replace bassist Mike Herrell with keyboardist Scott Wexton. Today Is The Day would be the band's final recording for AmRep.
In 1997 Today Is The Day left the AmRep fold and signed with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based metal label Relapse Records. Temple Of The Morning Star was released in September of 1997. For this release, Steve Austin built an entirely new lineup, this time joining forces with bassist/keyboardist Christopher Reeser and drummer Mike Hyde. In addition to Temple Of The Morning Star, Today Is The Day added to their 1997 output by contributing to the In These Black Days 7" series. Released by Hydra Head Records, this series is comprised of six volumes of Black Sabbath covers performed by the following bands in addition to Today Is The Day: Anal Cunt, Eyehategod, Converge, Brutal Truth, Coalesce, Cavity, Cable, Jesuit, Overcast, Cave In, Botch, Neurosis and Soilent Green. For this series, Today Is The Day contributed their rendition of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, which can also be found as a secret track at the end of Temple Of The Morning Star.
For Today Is The Day's August 1999 release, entitled In The Eyes Of God, Steve Austin once again altered Today Is The Day's lineup. For this record Reeser and Hyde were replaced with bassist Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor, formerly of Rochester, New York's Lethargy and current members of Atlanta, Georgia-based Mastodon. Audiences got their first glimpses of this new lineup live at the Milwaukee Metalfest and the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. Having moved to Massachusetts in 1998, this was the first Today Is The Day album to be recorded at Austin Enterprise's new location in Clinton, Massachusetts.
The years 2000 and 2001 were relatively quiet for Today Is The Day in terms of releasing new material. Live Till You Die was released in August of 2000, and included live tracks recorded during the tours in support of Temple Of The Morning Star and In The Eyes Of God, covers of songs by The Beatles, Bad Company and Chris Isaak, and various odds and ends compiled from studio sessions held at Austin Enterprise during the late-1990s. In 2001 fans were treated to new Today Is The Day songs that were released on splits with Metatron and 16, the first glimpse of new material since 1999.
The new songs put out on the split releases in 2001 would prove to be but the tip of the iceberg, as these songs would appear on Today Is The Day's monolithic release Sadness Will Prevail. Sadness Will Prevail was released as a double album in September of 2002 and clocks in at approximately 2 1/2 hours. Taking roughly three years to record, mix, and master, Sadness Will Prevail is the band's most ambitious project to date. In addition, this album kept with Steve Austin's habit of rotating band personnel and Kelliher and Dailor were replaced by Chris Debari and Marshall Kilpatric, respectively. Despite the sheer size of Sadness Will Prevail, Today Is The Day also released their second live album, entitled Temple Of The Morning Star Tour, in 2002.
Today Is The Day returned in June of 2004 with an incredibly fast, brutal, and short album entitled Kiss The Pig. While Sadness Will Prevail plays like a progressive rock album, Kiss The Pig exists to be its predecessor's antithesis. Kiss The Pig featured the debut of new drummer Mike Rosswog, previously of Circle Of Dead Children. Rosswog replaced Anal Cunt's John Gillis, who performed live with the band in 2003. Kiss The Pig was the last album released by Today Is The Day on Relapse Records.
In December 2006 it was announced that former Hate Eternal drummer Derek Roddy had joined the band and would appear on their next studio album, Axis Of Eden, due in 2007. Roddy is the latest entry in Today Is The Day's rotating drummer slot, following short stints by drummers Jeff Lohrber and Graham Leduc.
In 2008, French drummer Julien Granger (Four Question Marks, Darkness Dynamite) joined the band.
Descent
Today Is The Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't live I can't eat
Time has risen land of the free
It is no gift honesty
It is my life don't promise
Me shit drunk sad fuck
Live your life don't live mine
Leave me alone I don't wanna be sane
I don't wanna be safe leave me alone
Wait and see what you'll get
The best is yet to come there
Ought to be truth inside honestly
I've nothing to hide you aren't
The victim you are the plague
I stand for freedom I'm not a slave
Lost away locked inside here
I stand the test of time time
Has risen land of the fake it
Is no gift honesty
The lyrics of Today Is The Day's song, "Descent," are a hard-hitting representation of an individual who feels trapped and oppressed by the society around them. The opening lines of "Why am I pissing blood, I can't live, I can't eat," create a strong visual of physical and emotional pain. The following line, "Time has risen land of the free," tells us that this person is in a society that claims to be free but is, in reality, oppressive. The line "It is no gift honesty, it is my life don't promise me shit," expresses a disillusionment with society and its false promises. The lines, "Live your life, don't live mine, leave me alone, I don't wanna be sane, I don't wanna be saved, I don't wanna be safe, leave me alone," show a desperate cry for individuality and freedom from societal expectations.
The next lines of the song, "Wait and see what you'll get, the best is yet to come there ought to be truth inside honestly, I've nothing to hide you aren't the victim you are the plague," indicate that the singer of this song is expecting some kind of retribution or change in society, and that they believe it will come from the truth within themselves. They refuse to be the victim of society's ills and see themselves as taking a stand for freedom. The final lines of the song, "Lost away locked inside here, I stand the test of time, time has risen land of the fake it is no gift honesty," convey a sense of defiance, with the singer remaining strong despite feeling lost and locked away. They refuse to adhere to a society that values the superficial over honesty and truth.
Line by Line Meaning
Why am I pissing blood
I am suffering and in pain, and things are not right in my body.
I can't live I can't eat
My physical and emotional state is so bad that I can't even perform basic functions like living and eating.
Time has risen land of the free
In this day and age, the idea of freedom is highly valued and often glorified.
It is no gift honesty
Being honest is not always rewarded or appreciated.
It is my life don't promise
My life is my own, and I don't need anyone's promises or assurances.
Me shit drunk sad fuck
I feel low and unhappy, possibly due to personal struggles or addiction.
Live your life don't live mine
Don't try to live your life through me or dictate how I live mine.
Leave me alone I don't wanna be sane
I want to be left alone and don't desire to conform to society's expectations of sanity and normalcy.
I don't wanna be saved
I don't want anyone to try and save me from my struggles, as I must face them on my own.
I don't wanna be safe leave me alone
I want to take risks and push boundaries, and I don't want anyone to hold me back or keep me 'safe.'
Wait and see what you'll get
You will receive what's coming to you, whether good or bad.
The best is yet to come there
Despite the suffering and challenges of life, there is still hope for a better future.
Ought to be truth inside honestly
Truth should always be at the core of our interactions, and we should strive to be honest with ourselves and others.
I've nothing to hide you aren't
I have nothing to conceal or be ashamed of, and you have no reason to judge or vilify me.
The victim you are the plague
Playing the victim only perpetuates negative behavior and can bring others down with you.
I stand for freedom I'm not a slave
I value personal autonomy and the ability to make choices, and I refuse to be controlled or enslaved by anyone.
Lost away locked inside here
I feel lost and trapped, both physically and emotionally.
I stand the test of time time
Despite challenges and hardships, I am resilient and can endure.
Has risen land of the fake it
In contrast to the earlier line, 'land of the free,' this line posits that society has become fake or inauthentic, possibly due to societal pressures or facades.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LAURENCE ANDREW TOLHURST, ROBERT JAMES SMITH, SIMON GALLUP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ks-hh1cf
Why am I pissing blood
I can't live I can't eat
Time has risen land of the free
It is no gift honesty
It is my life don't promise
Me shit drunk sad fuck
Live your life don't live mine
Leave me alone I don't wanna be sane
I don't wanna be saved
I don't wanna be safe leave me alone
Wait and see what you'll get
The best is yet to come there
Ought to be truth inside honestly
I've nothing to hide you aren't
The victim you are the plague
I stand for freedom I'm not a slave
Lost away locked inside here
I stand the test of time time
Has risen land of the fake it
Is no gift honesty
@destroyerofstupid7073
The riffing on this song is 10/10. Best band out there.
@Bandug
This is easily their best cut by far. Don't get me wrong, as much as I love this band, nothing I have ever heard even comes close to the sheer intensity and destruction that this song invokes. I've probably listened to it at least 50 times and it never gets old. I also adore the erratic editing in this video, perfectly matches with the music.
@StarBellySneetch
temple of the morning star live was a memory that changed my life. INSANITY. Sent me on a journey.
@wizardmasterdeath
Sadness Will Prevail is a wild ride
@kesdunu937
Loved the production on this album.
@beauty.of.the.struggle
Seeing this music video on Fuse when I came home from high school was my introduction to TitD... I've been obsessed ever since.
At the time I was mostly listening to techy shit with garbage disposal vocals and blast beats the whole time. I remember turning on the TV in time to catch the ending of this... This super doom-y song with the drummer just beating the shit out of the toms... it was the heaviest thing I'd ever heard and blew my world open.
So happy that there's finally a high Def cut of this video uploaded now
@TheSonicDeviant
These guys are on another level.
@VHNdrums
holy shit!!! Steve Austin is bringing back the classic videos in great quality!
@mahatmagamgee1831
can't believe I saw this as a kid :D Loved the song ever since, thanks for the reupload!
@huhwowproductions
I remember when I first saw this video as a kid. This was the heaviest ish I had heard up until that point. Still slaps