01. Light Em Up 4:01
02. Hello Heartache 3:48
03. When I See You 3:08
04. Airplane 3:44
05. Lately 3:50
06. Cold Addiction 4:15
07. Landslide 4:36
08. Never Goodbye 5:14
09. Hey You 3:57
10. We Are No One 4:04
11. Long Highway 5:10
12. Strange 0:56
13. The Dark Hills 5:11
Nineties rock gave Josh Brown a muse, a voice and stardom. Then it nearly killed
him. Now his band is giving the sounds that first inspired him new life on Day
of Fires third album LOSING ALL, a powerful hard-rock record that explores the
real meaning of rebirth.
Brown grew up in Jackson, Tennessee, where he picked up songwriting and a
serious drug habit at age 15. Two years later he became the frontman for Full
Devil Jacket, and at 22 he scored the big-time record deal. I thought I was Axl
Rose for a short time there, he laughs. The band toured with Creed and
Nickelback and made a splash at Woodstock 99, but on his way to major success,
Brown had a major crash: a heroin overdose in an Orlando bathroom put his career
on hold while he rehabbed and rethought his life.
After several years out of the spotlight, Brown had a burst of inspiration,
re-emerged with a new slate of songs and assembled Day of Fire – guitarist Joe
Pangallo, his brother Chris Pangallo on bass, and drummer Zach Simms. Brown
penned most of their 2004 self-titled debut in his moms garage and the band
wrote and recorded its follow-up, 2006s CUT & MOVE, during a brief break in
touring. The two albums sold more than 150,000 copies combined, and a few short
years later Day of Fire inked a new deal with Razor & Tie, who will release
LOSING ALL in 2010.
For Day of Fire, LOSING ALL isnt about despair and endings, but hope and fresh
starts. In the two years the band has been working on the album, everything
changed: their business relationships dissolved, and Browns eight-year marriage
nearly ended, too. This record was written from a real place, and everybody
goes through this at times in life, Brown says. Ive gone through it a couple
times where Ive felt like Ive lost everything.
But even when Day of Fire was at a low point, somebody cut them a break: Chris
Daughtry, who had opened for them a year before his career-changing stint on
American Idol. Daughtry invited Day of Fire on tour and co-wrote three tracks on
LOSING ALL, including the chugging, melodic Hello Heartache. Hes the real
frickin deal, Brown says.
First single Lately, a churning swirl of riffy metal, has Brown growling,
Memories cutting like a razor blade/Pushin through the pain til it fades
away. So whats the song really about? Just letting go of all the crap, man,
Brown says. Simms, who wrote the chorus on the way to a European show during a
time of business turmoil, calls the track a release for me, and explains,
Its about letting go of the things that have been clouding your mind, and
hopefully will give people a reason to chase their dreams that may have been
shattered by someone telling them that they could never achieve it.
The band didnt hold back a thing on LOSING ALL, and everyone drew on intense,
raw personal experiences for nearly every track: Super-charged slow roller
Airplane tells of broken hearts and lost love, and the swirling grind of Cold
Addiction examines the horrors of being trapped inside cocaine dependency.
Landslide is an awesomely dark groove that could have come from Soundgarden or
Appetite for Destruction-era Guns n Roses. Things are changing, and security
cant be in the money in your pocket, youve got to find it somewhere else,
Brown says of the track thats more poignant than ever during the financial
crisis.
Day of Fire are true fans of Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains and Nirvana,
and those bands artistry, emotion and gut-busting power are evident all over
LOSING ALL. Without each part of the equation – Browns unique growl, Simms
hyper-energetic drumming, Joe Pangallos powerful tones and Chris Pangallos
beefy anchor – LOSING ALL wouldnt hit so hard, or be so genuine. We went for
the integrity of true sounds. Thats how we recorded the whole record, Brown
says, noting that all the main tracks were laid down live. The album was
recorded in a month near the bands Nashville home base with Rogers Masson.
Ultimately, though, Day of Fires true strength is their sincerity, honesty and
ability to grab audiences by the heart. We have something to say. Its about
love, Brown says. We all go through dark times, but we can go through them
together – thats what rock & roll is about to us.
