There are some that hold to the idea that your mindset has a direct effect on your physical health. When you find yourself in dark places, mentally, the physical degradation is not far behind. It is for these reasons that fans of the band, New Years Day, have seen a shift in the feel of the music.

The band’s rhythm guitarist, Nikki Misery, says that the shift to more of an empowering sound was intentional.

“We really started to feel that, internally, as a band, we were getting worse, getting darker, and it was starting to add to some stresses,” he said. “We were seeing it in ourselves and in the industry as a whole. It was time for a change.”

That change came and the reviews have been looking up since.

“We actually got together and made the effort to make some changes,” Nikki said. “We realized that we persevered through some bad stuff and we were better for it. It made us realize that we have people behind us that really do have our best interests. It really breathed some life back into us.”

It was this mentality of empowerment that the band brought to the Town Ballroom in July on their headlining tour. Nikki said it was really something that New Years Day, as a whole, do not take for granted and have come to truly appreciate.

For many fans of metal, it is a hard place to be. For many, it is a search for acceptance that brought them to what has truly become a family, Nikki said. It is that family treatment that has been a big part of the show, not just for Nikki Misery, but the band’s singer, Ash Costello, as well.

“Metal fans seem to feel more like they are from the outside of society,” Nikki said. “Most of us grew up in what we felt was a harder life and we are looking for a good time. Our shos are a way for us to say, ‘We know how you feel.’

“I can tell you that our music has helped us through some harder situations,” Nikki continued. “If we can help someone else though, it’s all worth it.”

New Years Day will be playing in support of In This Moment and with DED Wednesday at The Rapids Theater in Niagara Falls.