Battling Our Inner Demons: “MONSTER” By Execution Day

I’ll never forget the first song I head by the band Execution Day.  My dear friend Angela, who I call one of my “metalcore sisters” because of our mutual love of that genre of music, sent me the song “HOLLOW” to listen to.  I was hooked immediately.  I’ve gotten to know this band well, especially the last few months since they did a small tour with Theoria Records labelmate Take The Name, a band I’m closely connected with.  Execution Day has quickly become one of my favorites, and my Spotify stats prove it.

Execution Day released a brand new song, “MONSTER”, May 15th, as well as a music video to go along with it. They’re both awesome.  I’ll be discussing them later, but first, I want to give some background on the band.  Execution Day has its roots in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Current band members include:  Dylan Dively (vocals); John Halstead (guitar); Jordan Fochtman (bass/vocals); and Matt Bidoli (drums). 

Dylan Dively

Dylan and Jordan are original members of the band, which started in 2016.  Jordan had left the band in 2017 due to personal reasons, but he came back in 2024.  Matt joined the band in 2017.  Dylan met him at a local show, and they needed him to play a show with them, and he just stuck around! They met John from touring with him when he was in his previous band in 2019, and he joined Execution Day in 2020. The band’s name came from a song demo in a previous project. Execution Day signed with Theoria Records in February 2023.

Jordan Fochtman

Execution Day’s first EP, From The Bottom Of My Heart, was released in 2017.  The Illusions EP came out in 2020. In 2023, Execution Day dropped a full-length, eleven-song album called HEAL.  “Hollow”, which was on that album, had been released as a single in 2021, and was on SiriusXM Octane’s Test Drive at the end of that same year.

The new single, “MONSTER”, originated from a demo by Dylan and John.  It was co-written, mixed, and produced by Hayden Calhoun of Darkside Audio and mastered by Mike Kalajian of Rogue Planet. The song has been added to several Spotify and Apple Music editorial playlists, and is also in rotation on The Sound 228. Execution Day’s monthly Spotify listeners recently topped 100,000.

Matt Bidoli

It seems to me that “MONSTER” is a step in a new direction for this band.  As good as the HEAL album was, and in my opinion it’s excellent, there’s something different about “MONSTER”. It’s fresh and edgy, but with that heavy metalcore vibe, including a killer breakdown.  John Halstead is a tremendous guitarist, and there are some sick riffs on this track.  I have decided that Matt Bidoli is what one would call a “Beast” on the drums, and it’s kind of become an inside joke with us, but it’s fitting because he’s incredible.  The multi-talented Jordan Fochtman on bass adds the rhythmic groove. In addition to playing bass, Jordan combines with Dylan Dively on vocals.  They both sing, while Dylan handles the hard vocals on this track.  Dylan has a soulful, passionate voice that brings out the emotion of the song, while Jordan’s vocal range is amazing.  These two complement each other so nicely, and together they are a powerful force.  The way the vocals are structured in this song is magical. I have to say that Jordan coming back to the band is a great thing for Execution Day, because the dual vocals are just perfect.

John Halstead

Like the first Execution Day song I ever heard, “HOLLOW”, as well as the new release, "MONSTER", many of the band’s songs are emotional and relatable and come from places deep within.  The band told me they definitely write about personal experiences.  They want listeners to take their own meaning from their songs.  In the case of “MONSTER”, to me, it’s about struggling with inner demons that we’re holding inside, but at some point we need to let the emotions out, because if we don’t it will drive us to out breaking point.  I think most of us have been there in our lives.

The chorus lyrics talk about the struggle: "I wanna get away

Before I break at the seams

Getaway I’ll Runaway

Runaway from all of my pain

Do you hear me?

I think I’m coming undone

A void you can’t see

You can’t stop the monster"

Brendan McGlathery of Preta Path Productions worked with Execution Day on the excellent music video for “MONSTER”, which was shot at a studio space in Maryland, near Baltimore.  Brendan filmed, directed, and edited the video, while Hannah Lujbli of Fire Rose Studios was the Production Assistant.  The band went in wanting to make it performance video to showcase the current lineup.  Some of the inspiration came from the video for “Faint” by Linkin Park.  As soon as I saw the “MONSTER” video I was awestruck by how well-done it is.  There are two different settings in the video. One has a luminous gold and black color scheme. When I first saw it what immediately came to mind was a wall of Gold Records. The other setting is a room with chrome panels in what looks kind of like an ombre pattern with colors ranging from indigo to magenta. The use of different camera angles, lighting, and shadows throughout the video make it really fun to watch.  You can also tell that the band had a great time making it. There was a lot of energy and passion put into the video. In all transparency, I asked my amazing friend Cindy to watch the video and give me her thoughts. She's good at describing things. We came up with some of the descriptions of the settings together. We both agreed that both are gorgeous. Also, she has now found a new band to add to her playlists!

I’ve been very fortunate to see three Execution Day shows this year, and they are a band I will go see live anytime I am able to. They are talented musicians and have great stage chemistry, and they also get the crowd engaged.  At the last show I saw, they performed “MONSTER” live for the first time, and the song is so catchy we were all singing the lyrics back to them not too long into it. It sounded great live! Not only are they fun to watch perform, they are also genuinely nice people who take time to talk to the fans and take pictures with them at their shows.

You will have the chance to check out Execution Day at some upcoming events. One is Summer Scream Fest in Brooklyn, New York Saturday, August 9th, and another is Rock The Valley in New Martinsville, West Virginia Sunday, October 5th. There will be upcoming tour announcements, so stay tuned to the Execution Day socials.

There is also new music in the works, including an LP which the band says is some of their best work yet.  In the meantime, please keep streaming “MONSTER” on whatever platform you use, including the video on YouTube. You can find Execution Day on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Written by: Annie Schlottman Photo credit: Brendan McGlathery/Preta Path Productions