Production Notes: Week One: The Sounds of Self Destruction

Above is the new cover for The Sounds of Self Destruction. The album, still in it's fetal stage, is coming along way better than expected. So far, I have three completed songs, and that was from just one night of work. This is another concept album, about a lost radio station that transmits subliminal messages about suicide to it's listeners. The opening of the album "Lost Frequencies" serves as an interlude to Radio Waves [Transmissions 1 - 4] (The song was originally broke into four segments and would be scattered about the album). "Lost Frequencies" is the beginning of the story, when the listener accidentally tunes into the radio station from Sanctuary. By this point in the story, our hero, Andrew, is strapped to a bed in a decaying hospital called "Alchemilla", where the head of the staff wants to extract his blood and infuse it with the Blood Goddess, who at this point is still the unawakened Flesh Goddess, his ex-loved Raychael who got pulled into Sloth after a fatal car accident in the real world. It's in this hospital that the radio station, 66.6 ATTCS begins to play over the PA system. The sounds unlock repressed memories inside Andrew's mind, as well as awakening the inhuman monsters chained in the 3rd floor basement, eagerly pulling at their chains, breaking free to take the lives of those who created them, the sadistic staff of Achemilla, and eventually the remaining residents of Sanctuary.

Along with this album, I will be releasing the story (or at least the part in which takes place during this album) with the album. I can already tell there will be a bonus disc, including a few exclusive songs, some b-sides, and the long awaited "Rise of the Temple", the start of the new TOS saga. As I've stated in past posts, Sloth will be a full length story. I have thousands of ideas for how the story will go. I'm very excited about the story because it will have soundtracks. I will post the story behind "The Sounds of Self Destruction" once the album is complete on this site.

In addition to the bonus disc, the slew of photographs, and the stories, I plan on releasing a "Making Of" documentary and two new music videos that will eventally wind up on the long awaited "Astral Visual Journey: An Astroid Andy Experience" DVD.

So without further ado, I present the first three songs in the Sloth/Sanctuary saga.





Until next time, keep Astral Projecting:

"Astroid" Andy Day

Astral Productions Updates: News, New Astroid Andy Album

As 2013 begins to open it's eyes, Astral Productions is doing the same. I (Andy Day) have taken a break from making music for the past eight months for several reasons. In my musical absence I have spent a lot of time discovering new literature, films, and expanded my taste in music. Those three things will shine brightly in the upcoming Astroid Andy album "The Sound of Self Destruction. As well as expanding my mind by discovering vast sources of inspiration, I've also gotten eight new tattoos. I bring this up because of the significance it has my life. I am depressed person, and in my darker moments, I practice forms of masochism and self destruction such as cutting myself and abusing drugs. I am proud to say that I haven't put a blade to my skin with the intent of exposing blood in over six months, instead I have found that I get the same euphoric sensation of cutting by getting tattoos. Also, another big change that will be apparent in the upcoming Astroid Andy album will be the fact that Astral Productions has moved. The albums "Sanctuary: City of Flames, Sanctuary 2: The Lost Reality, Astral Plane, and Return to the Temple of Sloth [Director's Cut] EP by Astroid Andy, There Was a HOLE Here. It's Gone Now by The Andy Day Project, Masochism and The Process of Decay by Temple of Sloth [2011 - 2012] were all produced out of Astral Production II (the name I gave when AP was operating out of Brownsburg). Now Astral Productions III will be operating out of Indianapolis, where all albums were produced before 2011. Location may not seem like a big deal to most, but where ever I set up base, a whole different process goes into my production of music. As the environment changes, so do my influences and outlook. I'm very excited to be back in my home town, although I will miss Brownsburg if only for two great friends I made out there, one of which is my tattoo artist.

Now onto the details of the new album.

The Sound of Self Destruction
Recently, I was lucky to get a brand new computer. The other computer which I had recorded all my previous albums was almost 11 years old, this new one is only a few months old. In addition to the new computer, I've got my hands on the newest music making software I've been using since I was 16. In addition to the new software, I've acquired over 15,000 new sound clips and new genres to play around with, including dubstep. This album will be very dramatic, including lots of sting ensembles, heavy hitting brass, epic drum arrangements, along with a heavier dose of electronic elements. I want to make a mash-up of Decomposed and Sanctuary 2. I haven't been this excited about making a new album in over a year. I've been listening to a wide range of metal lately which I'd really like to add into the mix of my new sound. I will be posting demos on my Bandcamp page within the next two weeks. I have two songs that I've started working on, but nothing is near completion. I'd like to have the album completed by the end of May, the earliest being the end of March depending on my free time. Before the album drops, I will release another chapter in my Director's Cut series, this time releasing Journey to the Temple of Sloth



OTHER NEWS:

By the end of February, I will be posting my short story "Vicarious Destruction" to this page. Also I will post the first part in the sequel, "Masochism". I'm still working on my book "Manuscript of a Broken Mind" that will contain 4 short stories (Vicarious Destruction, Vicarious (Re)Construction: The Lost Pages, Masochism, and Temple of Sloth, the story behind the musical world I created) along with memoirs, poetry, found notes, drawings and sketches, lyrics, and other material from over the years including brain-storming pages for different stories, idea banks, unfinished poems, and much, much more. So keep your eyes peeled for more details about Astral Publishing's very first product.





Andy Day - 2/17/2013