Life can throw a lot at you. Times get hard. Circumstances spiral out of control. King David knew a lot about struggle. And his story, detailed in the Bible, gives us an important lesson: to persevere, to triumph, to cry out to God to live "Life In Your Way."
"[David] had written about how hard life was for him, but through all his struggles, mistakes, aches and pains, he decided to live the way God would have him live," says Life In Your Way vocalist Joshua Kellam.
And it is with that same spirit of humility and strength through adversity that Life In Your Way delivers their unique brand of melodic hardcore, taking a cue from the diverse power of Thrice, the impassioned metallic might of their friends in Shai Hulud and the chaotic but melodic ferocity of Beloved (US).
Spawned from the same fertile Northeastern grounds as metalcore giants like Hatebreed, Killswitch Engage, Unearth, Converge and Coheed & Cambria, Life In Your Way is the latest and greatest band to carry the flag for righteous rock and spirit-filled lyrics. "There is nothing better than to be into what your friends are pouring their lives in," says the singer. "The most important bands to us are our friends bands -- One Dead Three Wounded, The Risk Taken, [and labelmates] August Burns Red."
And the guys have certainly poured themselves into "Waking Giants," their first album for Solid State. Swanson came up with the album's title, which Josh says is about how "we all have giants inside that can and were made to do great things. We tend to put them to sleep more than what we are called for. The world is full of pain and sorrow that should not be overlooked. Basically, we all have the ability to focus on meaningful things that we can put time, money or whatever in to. We so often don't."
Life In Your Way's last album, "Ignite and Rebuild" (Floodgate/ Indianola), the followup to their incredible debut "The Sun Rises and the Sun Sets, and Still Our Time is Endless," put the band's own unique stamp upon the musical landscape, a sound filled with an over- abundance of creative ideas.
"One large thing that sets us apart may be that we write many parts for each song and we rarely repeat anything," Josh says. "And I would hope to stand apart in how we treat people. Too many bands now have an attitude with even the very people in the crowd. We¹ll always push ourselves to be on top of that stuff."
Amazingly, Josh says that Life In Your Way put more time and energy into their Solid State debut than any of their previous efforts, and it shows. "There were hard times when we were not flowing and things were not making sense. But it always seemed to come together for us right at the last second."
And of course, they had some help. GGGarth (Rage Against The Machine, Haste The Day) and his "main-man" Ben Kaplan were at the helm. "Ben was great and more than we had hoped for. We got to do almost anything we had wanted, like 10 guitar tracks in one part or layered singing. He and his team were a lot of fun. They helped us to make a great sounding record, which is what we had really hoped to achieve."
Despite such humble proclamations there is a bit more on the band's agenda moving forward: namely, to be a real light in the darkness for an underground community that too often is obsessed with negativity. "I hope we can make a difference in a scene that is dark and self- motivated," Josh says. "If we can be known for the good music that we make and that we stand for something at the same time, it will all be worth it."
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it was a blessing playing with you guys at redemption fest and seeing you guys at cornerstone!! i know God has amazing things instore for you all and i would just like to say thank you for an amazing week of being able to see you guys 3 times!! you will be missed!
I've been proud to call myself a Life In Your Way fan for 3 years, and was greatfull that you guys swung by Amarillo TX before you guys were done. your music has given me a better perspective on what I listen to and what it means to belive in it. thank you for your insperationand that knowledge that I labor not in vain. (it was fun getting to talk to corey too)god bless.
i'm so honored i got to be at two of your last shows at Cornerstone. you guys really have been a huge inspiration on me and have been my favorite band for years. i love all of you guys and i wish you the best of luck in whatever you do. I'm glad I got to meet you, Josh. to all of you, thanks for everything.
We're having a show on July 29th with INHALE EXHALE ans Wrench in the Works!! Get your tix online so you can save some $$$! We hope that you can make it out to the show!! Its gonna be an awesome timee =]
i can't wait till next saturday it will be amazing.
p.s. Todd I started a blog space on blogspot.com my name is sevn30:dillemas to diplomas. it's ok but it will give you an idea about what I write about.
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Nice job at the Bowling Alley guys. That was my first time experiencing LIYW live and I'm sad it's the last.
As us Canadians were heading back home after the show, I hit an animal just north of Grand Forks which cause my car to break down. This happened at 12:40am resulting in a very long night for us! We ended up getting a ride to the border by a semi driver, and stayed there until our parents showed up at 4am. As my friends headed home, me and my dad had to go back to my car because I had no identity with me. We found that I had dropped my wallet 3/4 of a mile up from my car and it was just laying on the shoulder open! After wanted to puke because I was so relieved, we towed my car and made it home at 7:15 sunday morning.
YOUR SHOW MADE THAT ALL WORTH IT.
P.S. - Check out my photos on www.flickr.com/photos/ryanbphotography
I'm going to miss you guys. Say hey to the My Epic fellas for me a C-Stone. If any of you are ever back in NC, you'll always have a place to stay. Just hit me up.
dudes! what happened last night. I drove up to Marshalltown with a buddy of mine and you weren't there. Seriously, that was my last chance to see you guys. Lame!
it sucks to know that you guys have disbanded.but hey, things happen for the good of us.i will support you guys and wish all the best for you guys in the future
Boys I am sad to write Monday will be the very last time you pick your ladies up at a random airport. So it's your last chance to bring us flowers and other gifts welcoming us into the smelly van! Love YOU.
hey guys..me and my band are covering some of your songs here in the philippines and you are one of our influences and obviously we are a fan..we were sadden of you guys breakin up..is there any follow up on your album or come here in the phil. then you can call it guys quits..:)..