Some bands make music. Other bands shape a whole new sound, bring things to a separate level and strive to forge a new genre in creating living, breathing encounters with the mind, body and soul. Pennsylvania's This Day Forward borrows all the traditional stylings of hardcore, metal and rock, then wields them together with childlike passion, profound imagery and astute precision. They are the yin yang of hardcore, forever in search of the perfect equilibrium or darkness and light.
Formed in 1996, This Day Forward began as an after school hobby among five guys with similar musical tastes. Featuring vocalist Mike Shaw, bassist Gary Shaw, then guitarists Randy Wehrs and Mike Golen and drummer Colin Frangicetto, they were the un-band with a bassist who'd never actually touched a bass and a drummer who only owned a set but actually played guitar.
Like most newcomers, things pieced themselves together in the practice room. The band organized shows wherever a drum kit could fit and soon enough TDF were opening small D.I.Y. hardcore-punk rock shows at all the local venues. Before long the band had forged a dedicated following, each show garnering a better turnout than the last.
As the band grew in age and maturity their song writing naturally progressed and eventually TDF grew into their own sound. Conceptual, illustrious dreamscapes of love, hate, regret and fear cocooned in scream soaked deliveries, and racy moody fluctuations.
Compared to such bands as Shai Hulud, At The Drive-in, Converge and even the Deftones, TDF compose an intriguing concoction of sounds and atmosphere where labels and catagories seem to melt away. The band wrote some new tunes and hooked up with ultra-indie Break Even Records. The label pressed 1000 copies of their full-length debut, "Fragments Of An Untold Story Born By Shunning The Opportunity." Littered with grating breaks, cut throat anger and a rusted mailbox brand of sound quality, the disc was raw adrenaline and sold out after only a few months. The band became cult favorites, their name persistently floating around the scene even if most had not actually heard their stuff.
Eventually Eulogy Records courted the band and thus came TDF's "The Transient Effects Of Light On Water." A big break came at Hell Fest 2000 where hundreds of kids got their first glimpse of these upcoming emo-metalcore deities who then returned the following year to an audience who knew them by name. Two years later and the band has an entirely new guitar section along with a brand new record and sound. With new members and long time friends Vadim Taver (formerly of A Life Once Lost) and Brendan Ekstrom (of 200 North). TDF has its most powerful line up to date.
TDF are hardcore oddballs of sorts lumped into a genre they don't quite belong but wouldn't fit better anywhere else. "Kairos" (Eulogy Records) which translates to "The time is ripe for change..." in Greek, poised itself to daintily shred all in change's path. Picking up where the 'Transient' record left off, this outing saw the band in a more mature light - still churning aggressive hardcore while highlighting it's heaviness with an ultra-passionate rock flavor like no other.
After completing numerous US tours and releasing three acclaimed records, This Day Forward joined Equal Vision Records in late 2002. After teaming up with EVR, the band wrote and recorded their third full-length effort entitled, "In Response." Without a doubt their most urgent and self-defining release to date, "In Response" shows the band is ever evolving while still maintaining a sound that is all their own. Musically the new record delivers all the punch of the previous releases, but the material is much more focused than the older efforts. "In Response" showcases the band's diversity by intertwining hardcore and rock music like never before. The socially charged lyrics and progressive song writing of "In Response" show that the guys have never been more comfortable as themselves and they are ready to show the rest of the world. Bio by: Liz Ciavarella
Source: http://www.thisdayforward.com