Review: Steve Austin ‘Marked Cards And Loaded Dice’
For a seasoned ear constantly attuned to the ever-shifting landscape of rock, yet holding an innate affection for country-folk and the earnest craft of the singer-songwriters, few musical evolutions have struck a chord as deeply as that of Steve Austin, the compelling force behind the experimental noise outfit, Today Is The Day.
Having known the band since their early, visceral releases on the legendary Amphetamine Reptile– where his abrasive, boundary-pushing sound carved a unique place of my past rock shows – I always detected a subtle undercurrent beneath the sonic maelstrom: a whisper hinting at his Appalachian roots, a ghost of mountain air threading through the feedback and distortion, as if the holler and the howl had never left him.
Indeed, Austin, originating from the very heart of country music, was raised steeped in the honest storytelling and the rebel poets of the outlaw scene by legends such as Waylon Jennings, Townes Van Zandt, and Guy Clark, , just to mention a few. This profound heritage was lovingly nurtured by his father Tillman Austin’s honky-tonk band – a connection, I firmly believe, his soul never truly relinquished.
An upbringing like that doesn’t leave you. It’s burned into your bones. Therefore, it comes as no genuine surprise that Austin has now unveiled a full album of country songs, a path sometimes trodden by rock luminaries such as Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Poison’s Bret Michaels, who each inject their distinct influences while consciously stepping clear of their band’s signature sound. Yet, with his latest venture, it feels less like a mere detour into new territory and profoundly more like an authentic, long-awaited homecoming.
For over thirty years, Austin hid his inspiration beneath feedback, distortion, and some of the most abrasive noise-metal sounds ever recorded. But it was always there, just beneath the surface. Then the pandemic hit, and like many musicians suddenly deprived of touring and routine, he found himself alone in the Maine woods with an acoustic guitar and nowhere to hide. He grabbed his Martin D-28 and started writing. Not noise. Not metal. Country songs.
Listening to this album takes me back to a cherished chapter of my life – those weekly radio shifts where I’d spin records by those country legends who laid the foundation, planting the seeds that inspired Steve Austin and his songwriting. There was something sacred about that ritual, and his music taps directly into that same vein. It’s a genuine joy to feel that connection still alive, still warm, after all these years. When he says he wanted to make a real country album – one that could make you feel something deep inside, he isn’t speaking loosely. He means it, and more importantly, he delivers it completely.
Marked Cards And Loaded Dice stands as one of the most authentic rock-country crossovers I’ve encountered…
The album, Marked Cards And Loaded Dice, released via his own SuperNova Records, carries a typical outlaw title and a well-tailored cover; it is both a personal tribute to his father and a love letter to the Tennessee hills that shaped him. What strikes me most is the seriousness and intentionality behind every creative decision. This wasn’t assembled in a modern studio chasing contemporary sounds. It was recorded entirely on vintage analogue gear from the ’60s and ’70s, with pedal steel, violin, drums, and everything else required to conjure the right emotional atmosphere.
You can hear the devotion in the texture of the recording itself. This man doesn’t just appreciate country music; he reverences it, and that reverence is audible in every track. The lead single, So Far Gone, opens the album with a bluegrass rock energy that feels lived-in and completely unforced – the sound of someone who grew up with this music rather than studied it from a distance.
Then comes Oh Lord I’m Comin’ Home, which channels the love of Jesus that has always run like a quiet river through the heart of country songwriting. It carries the kind of compositional purity you associate with Merle Haggard or Buck Owens – simple, direct, and emotionally true. Tracks like Am I Just Crazy and The Rain Keeps Comin’ Down reveal that his songwriting instincts have always been rooted in something purer, something closer to the very essence of the genre. These are beautiful, moving love songs – tender and unadorned – and they call to mind the spirit of the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, Gram Parsons and Jonathan Edwards at their most heartfelt.
The title track itself is a soulful cry for freedom and humanity, the kind of song that feels like it needed to exist. And the album closes with Chestnut Mound, an instrumental that functions as a final, wordless expression of everything he’s poured into this record – all his love and devotion distilled into melody. It’s a quiet, perfect ending.
For me, Marked Cards And Loaded Dice stands as one of the most authentic rock-country crossovers I’ve encountered. It never feels like a vanity project or a stylistic detour. It feels like a man reaching back toward the music that raised him, honouring it honestly, and finding that it still has everything to say. Sing me back home before I die.
Label: SuperNova Records
Band Links: Facebook | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Domenico ‘Mimmo’ Caccamo
