“I got to see Helmet! They played my favorite song (“Unsung”), and I got it on video on my iPhone,” said lead vocalist Blake Allison, sharing his favorite moments after his band Devour The Day completed playing on the Sunday of Knotfest. The band was coming off of a high, playing in front of a large crowd who showed up early to watch the band rock the side stage.
“My favorite was the macaroni and cheese. Amazing I wanted to eat so much more of it. The ladies in catering mean so much more business today. They know that metal guys will eat will so much at home on one plate,” added bassist Joey “Chicago” Walser, about one of his favorite moments during Knotfest.
Being they were one of the few rock bands to share a stage with variations of metal bands, they used this to their advantage and won over fans along the way. In fact, Walser said they found new fans within situations like this and attracted new fans.
“Absolutely for us, at these kinds of shows Blake and I experienced it during Ozzfest, which was super similar. To assume that everyone here to watch metal only and listens to metal is small minded. We get fans every time we play something like this. There’s got to be people out there and jump on Lambgoat and say we suck, but we don’t care. We had a great time. The energy was great.”
“In fact on Lambgoat, I think they said every band today on here sucked…except for Cannibal Corpse and Helmet!,” he said, with a chuckle.
Since Allison and Walser began Devour the Day in 2012, following the end of their previous band Egypt Central, they immediately began writing new material that resulted in becoming their debut album, 2013’s Time and Pressure.
“We were in a band called Egypt Central for a long time. Joey and I have been playing music together since we were teenagers. That band broke up for whatever reason…it doesn’t matter. The point is this band’s here and we’re making the best music that we have and we love this project, all the way to the soul of it. It’s something we never had before as musicians. We’re proud of who we are and what we’ve done and the music that we’ve made,” explained Allison.
Photo Credit: Melina Dellamarggio
Within their touring cycle, Devour The Day has since recorded a new album. Allison talked about it plus the story behind the album.
“We just went and finished doing another record recently. So we have another record coming out in 2016 called Sore.”
“It is about the struggle of the past few years. I think as much as we’ve talked about on the first record – our issues with the business, realizations of young men growing up doing this and touring. This record is more about the human being universally and how we all relate to each other. I think that’s through tribulation and how you respond to that tribulation. The record speaks to that on a spiritual level, on a political level, on an addictive level – a lot about the power of addiction. I think a lot of people can relate to that. The record is for human beings, not dogs,” said Walser.
Photo Credit: Melina Dellamarggio
Another change within their camp is that Sore will be coming out through their new label home, Razor and Tie.
“I’ll say the biggest change so far is that we were able to make this record the way we intended to. I think it’s one thing to make a record on your own – in your own garage or your own living room, like we did on the last one. But on this one, because they saw something in the band and what we’ve done before, they thought it would be a good idea to stay in the studio with a guy who knows what he’s doing. His name is Dan Korneff. He did the Killswitch Engage record, a lot of Breaking Benjamin and Paramore…the list goes on and on. So he gets it. He knows where our background and the music and what we listen to.”
“We didn’t have to fight for the record that we wanted. It was already set up that way. We couldn’t be there without Razor and Tie. We’re extremely excited about the future of this band and what’s going to happen with this record. I think if we didn’t sign with them we’d be in a different spot, none better or none worse – just different,” said Allison.
Being that Devour The Day had built a fan base more from a DIY standpoint since the formation of the band, they knew what they were seeking from a recording label as a partner.
“I would say, especially since most of the guys involved in our do it yourself kind of approach are still very much involved with the group. I think when they signed us, even in the initial meetings when we talked, Blake and I were pretty clear about our vision for what our band was and if they were interested in doing that. We turned down other deals from other labels. We have not found the right thing until we were with Razor and Tie. I think a lot of that had to do with the team that we have now being with us all the way through that,” said Walser.
He also talked about experiencing the DIY method helped them work harder towards achieving goals they were after.
“We feel that hard work really does pay off, as cliché as it sounds. We work our asses off for years to achieve a fraction of the eventual goal that we’re after. At this point, we want people to relate to our music because that’s what saved our lives. Music really got us through every weird situation. We could always go back to my bass and…she never cheats. She never lies,” said Walser.
Another aspect has been touring with heavier bands such as their current tour with All That Remains has made Devour The Day the missing void on an often heavier billed tour. Walser shared his thoughts on the matter.
“Blake one time said he had heard it through a couple podcasts or read that it’s almost for us, what we want to be is original and looking for the gaps within music. I don’t think we want to hear some band or CD that we like and go make that CD that sounds like…it’s pointless.”
“For us, we have such a large variety of influences. We’re just trying to show that what we are and how we are. I think that our fans that love where we’re coming from will get that and those who don’t will hate it and that’s perfectly ok. That’s the power of diversity.”