Day of Fire frontman Joshua Brown, after a young life spent hurling himself against obstacles in his path, bent on self-destruction, has had a new existence forged for him in this modern life. The band shares both the hard truths and the redeeming moments of this experience on Day of Fire's self-titled debut album.
Formerly front man for the Island-Def Jam band, Full Devil Jacket, Josh Brown dreamed of being a rock star from a very early age.
"I started writing music at 15. I had big dreams of becoming a rock star. For the next five to seven years, I played in bands around Jackson, Tenn., where I grew up, and worked really hard to get a record deal," Josh says.
Picked up by Island-Def Jam, an EP and full-length project followed, as did tours in support of Nickelback, Fuel and Creed, but the rock 'n' roll lifestyle quickly took a toll on Josh. "About a year and a half after I signed the record deal, I ended up OD'ing on heroin," he says. "I went to rehab after that and got cleaned up. As soon as I got out of rehab, I went on tour with Creed, playing the biggest shows of my career. I had money, I had girlfriends, I had everything I thought I needed, but I was still empty inside. I was still feeling just as insane as when I was doing drugs."
It was while recording a second Full Devil Jacket album that Josh finally realized something had to change. Josh withdrew completely from the music business, stopped engaging in music altogether and devoted himself to healing the damage his previous lifestyle had caused to his health, his relationships and his spirit. After a two-year hiatus, Josh began writing songs again, this time with guitarist/songwriter Gregg Hionis, and the pair began playing in their hometown of Jackson, Tenn. Based on the strength of those first songs, the doors were opened for Day of Fire to some of the hard rock world's most prominent producers and musicians. Josh explains, "We chose producer Scott Humphrey, who's worked on records by Metallica, Motley Crew and Rob Zombie, among others. We also worked with Chris Chaney, bass player from Jane's Addiction, and drummer Gary Novak and guitarist Phil X, who've played with Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne and Andrew W.K." Since the albumÃs release, Joshua and Gregg have crossed the country and the globe on tour with band mates Joe Pangallo on lead guitar, brother Chris Pangallo on bass, and Zach Simms on drums.
The songs on Day of Fire's debut, including "Cornerstone," the opener "Through The Fire," the challenging "I Am the Door," and the sweeping "Jacob's Dream," feature an epic, aggressive sound with a unique interlocking of sonics and syllables designed to reach the disaffected populace. "It's very aggressive because we're reaching out to an aggressive generation," Josh says. "It's a vehicle and a language."
