Haste the Day

Haste the Day
Vocalist Stephen Keech and guitarist Dave Krysl in 2007 on the Solid State Tour
Background information
Origin	Carmel, Indiana, U.S.
Genres	Metalcore, Christian metal
Years active	2001 (2001)–2011, 2014–2016, 2023—present
Labels	Solid State
Members	Stephen Keech Brennan Chaulk Scott Whelan Dave Krysl Mike Murphy Giuseppe Capolupo
Past members	Jason Barnes Devin Chaulk Jimmy Ryan

Haste the Day is an American metalcore band formed in Carmel, Indiana in 2001 and signed to Solid State Records. Their name is derived from a lyric in the hymn "It Is Well with My Soul" by Horatio Spafford. The band released an EP titled That They May Know You, in 2002, followed by five studio albums: Burning Bridges (2004), When Everything Falls (2005), Pressure the Hinges (2007), Dreamer (2008), and Attack of the Wolf King (2010). The group disbanded in March 2011 but reformed in 2014 and released Coward in 2015.

Haste the Day formed in 2001 in Carmel, Indiana. The name was discovered by Devin Chaulk who read it from the hymn "It Is Well with My Soul." The band originally started out as a three-piece including: Brennan Chaulk (guitar/vocals), Devin Chaulk (drums/vocals), and Mike Murphy (bass/vocals). Six months after forming, the band added longtime friend Jason Barnes to the group as a second guitarist. In 2002, the band recruited Jimmy Ryan as their lead vocalist who was member of the death metal band Upheaval from 1997 until 1999.^[1] According to Ryan, he met Barnes at a bible study and recognized him, which led to the invitation to join the band.^[2]

The remaining members continued on for the European tour with The Juliana Theory, accompanied by Stephen Keech of Denver-based Christian metal band New Day Awakening.^[3] On February 23, 2006, Haste the Day stated in a press release that they had officially made Keech their new permanent singer.^[4]

On July 17, 2008, the band announced that guitarist Jason Barnes was asked to step down from Haste the Day because he is no longer of the Christian faith.^[5]

From October to November 2008, Haste the Day performed on Norma Jean's "The Anti–Mother Tour". The tour also included several bands on Solid State Records such as The Showdown, Mychildren Mybride, Children 18:3, and Oh, Sleeper.^[6]

On October 14, 2008, Haste the Day's fourth studio album Dreamer was released on Solid State Records. The album, being the first to not feature Barnes, saw a lead guitar performance by former Scarlet and Spitfire guitarist Randy Vanderbilt.^[7] The band announced that the 12 Days of Christmas tour would mark the final shows that drummer Devin Chaulk would play with the band, as he felt that he was being called to depart. Chaulk explained in an interview that his decision weighed on him to leave to focus on his new marriage at the time and to avoid holding the band back.^[8]

On February 24, 2009, the music video for their single "Mad Man" appeared on their MySpace profile.^[9] The band began touring on the Saints and Sinners Tour along with Brokencyde, Senses Fail and Hollywood Undead on February 27, 2009. In May 2009, they participated in a six-show tour in South Africa, with their first show on May 8 in Johannesburg, and ending the tour in Cape Town on May 16. Partially through the 2009 Scream the Prayer Tour, Brennan Chaulk left the band because of personal reasons and to pursue writing Christian worship music. Mike Murphy became the only original member of Haste the Day. Although no specific announcement was made, touring lead guitar player Dave Krysl (ex–New Day Awakening) became a full-time member after the Scream the Prayer Tour. Blake Martin of A Plea for Purging was asked to fill the position of rhythm guitar that Chaulk had left vacant.^[10] The band later would get Scott Whelan, formerly of Phinehas, as their permanent new guitarist.^[10]

The band announced their break-up on November 22, 2010. According to Keech, after he had joined the band, he, Murphy, and the band's manager Mark Lafay, made an agreement that if one of them were to leave, the band would cease.^[7] Lafay made the decision to leave the management industry, which led to the band disbanding out of respect for the agreement, as well as accepting that the band would have ended eventually.^[7] Lafay clarified the comment about his willingness to continue with the band until he could find a replacement manager, however, he stated he believed that the members were ready to move on with their life.^[10] The next day, November 23, the first three full-length albums were re-released in one package entitled Concerning the Way It Was. Their farewell tour was during February–March 2011, with support from MyChildren MyBride, The Chariot and A Plea for Purging.^[11]

The band released a live CD and DVD album, Haste the Day vs. Haste the Day, on September 13, 2011.^[12] It features the original band members and the final line-up of the band performing at their show in Bloomington, Indiana on June 29, 2010.^[13] The band released a picture on January 20, 2014, of a date-stamped white board reading "setlist"^[14] and on January 29, 2014, a new band website was created to allow visitors to sign up for email updates.^[15]

On February 14, 2014, it was announced that Haste the Day would reform for one night on May 2, 2014, with its original lineup to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the album Burning Bridges.^[16][17][18] The band later announced that they would be recording a new album with some of the original members and some of the Attack of the Wolf King line-up. On August 15, 2014, the band started an Indiegogo campaign to help fund the new album.^{[19][better source needed]} Their monetary goal was surpassed. Vocalist Stephen Keech was announced to produce the album, with Matt Goldman doing the mixing.^[20] Another announcement set the album's release by Solid State Records on May 19, 2015.^[21] On April 23, 2015, "World", the lead single from Coward, was released online,^{[citation needed]} while the album was released on May 18, 2015.^[22] The band has since scheduled four shows across the U.S.^{[citation needed]} According to a photo posted May 28, 2015 by the band on their Facebook page, the album "Coward" was fiftieth overall on Billboard charts, second on Christian charts, seventh on Hard Rock charts, sixteenth on Rock charts, and seventh on the Internet overall.^[23]

On February 3, 2023, it was announced the band would reunite for the first time in seven years to play the 2023 Furnace Fest.^[24] Afterwards, on August 13, 2024, via email newsletter the band announced they are working on a new album.^[25]

Touring musicians

Timeline

Studio albums

Extended plays

• That They May Know You (2002)

Compilation albums

• Concerning the Way It Was (2010)
• Best of the Best (2012)
• The Ultimate Playlist (2016)

Live albums

• Haste the Day vs. Haste the Day (2011)^[16][46]

Singles

• "Long Way Down" (2005)
• "Stitches" / "Deth Kult Social Club" (2007; Split 7" with From Autumn To Ashes)
• "Mad Man" (2008)
• "Travesty" (2010)
• "World" (2015)

Music videos

• "The Closest Thing To Closure" (2004)
• "American Love" (2004)
• "When Everything Falls" (2005)
• "Stiches" (2007)
• "Mad Man" (2008)