"Alle hardcore-, metalcore- en emobands van dit moment kunnen wel inpakken, want alles wat dit jaar binnen die genres moet worden geschreven, is te vinden op 'Tomorrow Comes Today.' Een plaat van overweldigende klasse: heavy, evenwichtig en excentriek. Een doorbraak naar
With "Tomorrow Come Today", BoySetsFire takes the next, confident step. Produced by Dave Fortman, it's their most accomplished album to date, but that doesn't mean they've left their punk roots or their lyrical conscience behind. Guitarist Josh Latshaw says on the official BSF website:
"It's a tremendously different record. After The Eulogy took a month, but this took over three months to do. We worked on everything, from agonizing over guitar sounds, to writing and re-writing the songs. Our producer wanted to make sure that the best songs always came out. He knew we were a weird band, that our approach was pretty unique, so that was no problem. We couldn't have someone stepping in and saying that a song was too metal or too pop, because we need to have everything in there. We must have demo-ed the album three times, and if a song wasn't holding up we'd wind up saying 'That sucks, get rid of it'."
Latshaw continues:
"We really tried to make an album, not just a collection of songs. We even agonized about how it flows from one song to another. That's how the interludes between songs came about-we do those onstage with a sampler, so we figured, why not have them on the record as well. We really hate dead air."
At the same time, the band continues to use its songwriting as a means for serious political discourse. Not only does Nathan Gray possess one of the post-hardcore circuit's most distinctive voices, he's also a lyricist who pulls few punches. Gray notes:
"I honestly went out of my way to make this our most political album. If this is going to be our first mainstream album, that means we should be showing people who we are and what our mission really is. We're not into weird conspiracy theories, we're just trying to make sense of what's going on in the world. People may still think we're full of shit, but at least we've gotten them to listen to somebody else's opinion."
Since their first self-financed single, BoySetsFire have challenged themselves to push further with each recording. The progression has come through on each new release: Consider (1996), The Day The Sun Went Out (1997), In Chrysalis (1998) and After The Eulogy (2000). While Tomorrow Come Today represents their most intensive work in the studio, you can also hear the ferocious band sound that Gray, Latshaw, guitarist Chad Istvan, drummer Matt Krupanski, and bassist Rob Avery have developed through their relentless touring. As always, the punk outbursts are balanced with real melodies and well-crafted arrangements. Latshaw:
"At first a lot of people didn't get it-They either liked one side of us or the other. I guess we're just a manic-depressive band."
The songs on Tomorrow Come Today take on issues ranging from the wave of post-9/11 militarism ("Release The Dogs"), to hypocrisy in organized religion ("Bathory's Sainthood"), to spousal abuse ("White Wedding Dress"). In fact, the album's one personally-themed song "With Every Intention"-a power ballad that many bands would kill to release as a single-was nearly pulled altogether, and finally included only as a hidden bonus track. "Not that we don't like the song, but I can't imagine someone hearing that one on the radio and then having to absorb the rest of the album," Gray says.
What unifies the songs is a spirit of dissent. Both "Foundations To Burn" and "Release The Dogs" are the band's response to the government's moves after 9/11. Gray:
"After September 11th, it seemed there were a lot of people who'd been waiting for something like that, so they could pass laws that would erode certain freedoms in this country. I found people like Ashcroft and Bush to be horrifying figures after that event. And I think a lot of people felt that way, but they were scared out of their minds to say anything about it, in case they got branded as anti-American. I feel that the true form of patriotism is protest, and that questioning your government is the most important thing that you can do as a patriot."
Likewise, "Bathory's Sainthood" raised some eyebrows when it appeared on the "Live For Today"-EP last year. Gray notes:
"We caught some flak because the words 'bastard' and 'messiah' are in there right next to each other. A lot of religious groups in this country have placated the masses into thinking that it's fine if they're poor and oppressed, because they're going to heaven. So it's not a lash out at God, only at people who think they're God. It's funny, because we never think we're being controversial until somebody says 'Holy shit! Did you really say that?'"
With the album finally ready for release, BoySetsFire are now ready to get back to their relentless roadwork. Latshaw:
"Playing live for us is cathartic, it's a spiritual experience. Onstage is where we connect with... Well, I hate to say 'our fans,' because that sounds a little condescending, and it's totally not how we feel. Without those people we'd be absolutely nowhere, and we'd feel pretty stupid playing if there was nobody there."
(Source: official BSF website)
