The Austerity Program is a

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

and

alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...

band that formed in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1997, founded by guitarist Justin Foley and bassist Thad Calabrese. The band has a distinct sound; due to their use of a

drum machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...

, the band's categorized as an

industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten and Chrom ...

outfit, and comparisons to other bands such as

Big Black Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded first as a solo project by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band became a trio with an initial lineup that included guitarist Santiago Dur ...

are made by critics and fans alike. The duo has a warm reputation within the American underground music scene since their formation, and their 2014 album '' Beyond Calculation'' was ranked as #12 on '' Rolling Stone's'' 20 Best Metal Albums of 2014.

History

The project initially started during the mid-early 1990s after guitarist Justin Foley and bassist Thad Calabrese met in college in New York City. The duo then formed a band called Polonium, which was named after what they believed was the heaviest metal on the

periodic table The periodic table, also known as the periodic table of the elements, is an ordered arrangement of the chemical elements into rows (" periods") and columns (" groups"). It is an icon of chemistry and is widely used in physics and other s ...

. In 1997, the band renamed themselves as The Austerity Program. After sending out multiple, creatively packaged

demos Demos may refer to: Computing * DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system * DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR * Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems * Plural for Demo (computer programming ...

, the band was picked up by

Hydra Head Records Hydra Head Records was an independent record label specializing in extreme metal music, founded in New Mexico by Aaron Turner (the frontman of Isis) in 1993. It had another imprint, Hydra Head Noise Industries, which specialized in experimental ...

in 2002, and they released their debut

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

, '' Terra Nova'', in 2003. In 2007, the duo released their first full-length

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

titled ''

Black Madonna The term ''Black Madonna'' or ''Black Virgin'' tends to refer to statues or paintings in Western Christendom of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus, where both figures are depicted with dark skin. The Jungian scholar, San Begg publ ...

'', which, according to the Hydra Head

bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

page, has nothing to do with the singer

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

. During spring of 2008, the duo toured with

post-metal Post-metal is a music genre rooted in heavy metal music, heavy metal but exploring approaches beyond metal conventions. It emerged in the 1990s with bands such as Neurosis (band), Neurosis and Godflesh, who transformed metal texture (music), te ...

band

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

. In 2010, the band released a follow-up EP, titled '' Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn''. As a way to market the disc, the band decided to write a humorous press release for it, imitating an irate staff member of Hydra Head complaining about the short run time of the record. In 2012, after Hydra Head announced that they were financially unable to release more records, the band left the label and created their very own label titled Controlled Burn Records. In 2014, they released their second full-length record, titled '' Beyond Calculation''. The record received warm reception among critics, and it was even listed in Rolling Stone's 20 Best Metal Albums of 2014. In 2016, the duo re-recorded their early material under the Polonium moniker and issued ''Seriphim'', and album which collects these new recordings, on April 4 of that year. The pair's third full-length as The Austerity Program, ''Bible Songs 1'', was released on June 14, 2019 after a lengthy production process. The album, largely inspired by the darker aspects of Biblical stories, was followed by a short European tour.

Members

*Thad Calabrese – bass *Justin Foley – guitar, vocals

Discography

Studio albums

*''

'' (2007,

Hydra Head Hydra Head Records was an independent record label specializing in extreme metal music, founded in New Mexico by Aaron Turner (the frontman of Isis) in 1993. It had another imprint, Hydra Head Noise Industries, which specialized in experimental ...

) *'' Beyond Calculation'' (2014, Controlled Burn) *''Bible Songs 1'' (2019, Controlled Burn)

Extended plays

*'' Terra Nova'' (2003, Hydra Head) *'' Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn'' (2010, Hydra Head)

Demos

Compilation contributions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Austerity Program American post-hardcore musical groups American alternative metal musical groups American noise rock music groups American rock music duos Musical groups established in 1997 Musical groups from New York City American post-metal musical groups