The Austerity Program is a

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

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 or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

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, 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 Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubaute ...

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 by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of ...

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 Rolling is a type of motion that combines rotation (commonly, of an axially symmetric object) and translation of that object with respect to a surface (either one or the other moves), such that, if ideal conditions exist, the two are in contact ...

'' 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 (chemical) elements, is a rows and columns arrangement of the chemical elements. It is widely used in chemistry, physics, and other sciences, and is generally seen as an icon of ...

. 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 that specializes 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 experiment ...

in 2002, and they released their debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, '' Terra Nova'', in 2003. In 2007, the duo released their first full-length studio album 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 Black Madonna can be found bo ...

'', which, according to the Hydra Head

bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

page, has nothing to do with the singer Madonna. During spring of 2008, the duo toured with

post-metal Post-metal is a music genre rooted in heavy metal but exploring approaches beyond metal conventions. It emerged in the 1990s with bands such as Neurosis and Godflesh, who transformed metal texture through experimental composition. In a way simil ...

band

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic language, Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician language, Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major ancient Egyptian deities, goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughou ...

. 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 that specializes in extreme metal music, founded in New Mexico by Aaron Turner (the frontman of Isis (band), Isis) in 1993. It had another imprint, Hydra Head Noise Industries, which specialized ...

) *'' 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 Rock music duos Musical groups established in 1997 Musical groups from New York City American post-metal musical groups