Christian Music Online

Sioux City Christian metal band lands record deal

March 11, 2008 – 10:56 am

SIOUX CITY — Picture hordes of teens, piling over each other, screaming Bible verses at the top of their lungs.

This isn’t the apocalypse — quite the opposite, really. It’s a scene from a concert by local ministry metalcore band For Today.

“These are kids that couldn’t walk into a church and worship this freely,” said vocalist Mattie Montgomery. “That’s something I couldn’t trade for the world.”

The Sioux City band’s faith, hard work and heavy tour schedule paid off when they were signed to Facedown Records in December. The Southern California label will distribute For Today’s debut album, “Ekklesia,” which is due to hit stores such as Best Buy on April 1.

The band was on the road 200 days in 2007 and plans to tour for 300 days this year. After performing in Baltimore, Jacksonville, Fla., Nashville, Tenn., and other cities this month, the band will return to Siouxland for a record release show in Jefferson, S.D., on April 5. The band will also shoot a music video this spring or early summer for the single “Agape.”

Those are great heights for a group of Sioux City high school students who just wanted to sound different from other local bands. The band formed three years ago as teens who wanted to make heavy music, said David Morrison, the band’s drummer.

Morrison and guitarist Mike Reynolds then met up with brothers Brandon Leitru, on bass, and Ryan Leitru, on guitar, in Merrill, Iowa. The current lineup was established when Montgomery joined up last September.

For Today’s songs used to feature singing, but now it’s mostly Montgomery’s aggressive guttural screaming. Somewhere between Iron Maiden and Hatebreed is where you’d find For Today’s sound, with Montgomery’s vocals influenced by other metalcore bands Zao and Haste the Day.

“I would listen to those bands all the time, trying to figure out how they did it and what they were doing,” he said. “Five years later, it’s all starting to come together.”

Montgomery’s been at it long enough that his vocal chords are used to the abuse.

“If someone runs 10 miles a day, running 10 miles the next day isn’t going to be very much trouble,” he said.

But the band members are quick to say the only reason they continue to record this aggressive style of music and play shows is to spread their Christian faith.

“This is the platform we have been given and the only thing we can do, as people who claim the name of Christ, is to use this platform to tell every single person we possibly can about it,” Montgomery said.

He said there has been a mixed response so far. There are some in the metal scene who aspire to be anti-religious, but there is also a Christian movement gaining steam.

Because there are so few bands that are being bold about their faith, For Today is seeking to lead the way for ministry bands.

“The only reason we tour, the only reason that we eat on $2.50 a day is so we can use this amazing platform we’ve been blessed with to spread the truth and the love and the hope we’ve found,” Montgomery said.

Montgomery calls the group’s shows “our worship.” And although the band doesn’t fight while on the road, he said he couldn’t handle living in a van for most of the year if he couldn’t perform.

“Every time we play a show, we’re playing a concert for the God that made us,” Montgomery said.

---

---