Like many music fans, I was extremely excited when Adam Gontier rejoined THREE DAYS GRACE. That excitement waned some when I realized that they hadn't lost their other singer, one Matt Walst. Then the first single dropped, and that excitement gathered some steam again; that track was titled "Mayday" and was released on November 22, 2024. It had all of the hallmarks of classic Three Days Grace, and Adam sounded fantastic on it.
Now mind you, I loved their "One-X" album, it helped get me through a messy divorce in 2008. I still believe that it's their best effort, with the exception of “Riot”, that song, despite its massive popularity, just never sat right with me. Anyway, it's not like I wasn't coming from a place where I wasn't a fan of their music. I even saw them in 2008 at a Krockathon here in Northern New York State, and though they weren't the headliner, they made every other band look like trash with their energetic performance and stage presence. The headliner was the most boring band that I've ever seen live, SEETHER, who barely moved away from their mics for their entire set … which is lame as hell.
I was excited to hear "Alienation", but even as I listen to it and write these words, I find myself paying more attention to the writing of this review. Normally, the music will distract me from the writing, so the fact that it's not isn't a good sign for what could have been an incredible comeback album.
I'm 7 tracks in, and even the 3 decent tracks (“In Waves”, “Mayday”, “Alienation”) aren't anything overly special, and, for the sake of transparency, this is where I gave up on things. I hit stop on my player, and have zero expectations that I will ever listen to the rest of it.
The problem with bands of this nature, or of all genres if I'm being honest, is that they stick to the formula that they've used for years. I personally feel that is just the nature of the music business, they go by the “If it ain't broke, don't fix it”, (METALLICA is a prime example of what I'm speaking on). Well, that's a phrase that shouldn't be in the vocabulary of any musician. We, the music fans across the globe, want you to step outside of your comfort zone, be daring and invent new sounds, tones, etc.
In closing, and much to my own surprise, I wasn't into this record, but fans of the formulaic style of Three Days Grace will most likely enjoy the hell out of it. But for me, this album is the musical equivalent of elevator music, if the elevator was stuck between floors, and all the buttons were labelled 'meh'.
I just want more from the bands that I listen to, like excitement and pushing the envelope … much like my current hero has done on his new album, "Idols". That man is named YUNGBLUD, and he broke the box he was in on prior albums, though he wasn't stale in any way whatsoever, he just wanted to push his own boundaries. In other words, be a Yungblud by challenging yourselves and your fans, which I direct to all bands who get stuck in a creative formula.
Rating: 2/10, I'd give it less, but I still have hopes for this band's future... Words: Tom Hanno.
Now mind you, I loved their "One-X" album, it helped get me through a messy divorce in 2008. I still believe that it's their best effort, with the exception of “Riot”, that song, despite its massive popularity, just never sat right with me. Anyway, it's not like I wasn't coming from a place where I wasn't a fan of their music. I even saw them in 2008 at a Krockathon here in Northern New York State, and though they weren't the headliner, they made every other band look like trash with their energetic performance and stage presence. The headliner was the most boring band that I've ever seen live, SEETHER, who barely moved away from their mics for their entire set … which is lame as hell.
I was excited to hear "Alienation", but even as I listen to it and write these words, I find myself paying more attention to the writing of this review. Normally, the music will distract me from the writing, so the fact that it's not isn't a good sign for what could have been an incredible comeback album.
I'm 7 tracks in, and even the 3 decent tracks (“In Waves”, “Mayday”, “Alienation”) aren't anything overly special, and, for the sake of transparency, this is where I gave up on things. I hit stop on my player, and have zero expectations that I will ever listen to the rest of it.
The problem with bands of this nature, or of all genres if I'm being honest, is that they stick to the formula that they've used for years. I personally feel that is just the nature of the music business, they go by the “If it ain't broke, don't fix it”, (METALLICA is a prime example of what I'm speaking on). Well, that's a phrase that shouldn't be in the vocabulary of any musician. We, the music fans across the globe, want you to step outside of your comfort zone, be daring and invent new sounds, tones, etc.
In closing, and much to my own surprise, I wasn't into this record, but fans of the formulaic style of Three Days Grace will most likely enjoy the hell out of it. But for me, this album is the musical equivalent of elevator music, if the elevator was stuck between floors, and all the buttons were labelled 'meh'.
I just want more from the bands that I listen to, like excitement and pushing the envelope … much like my current hero has done on his new album, "Idols". That man is named YUNGBLUD, and he broke the box he was in on prior albums, though he wasn't stale in any way whatsoever, he just wanted to push his own boundaries. In other words, be a Yungblud by challenging yourselves and your fans, which I direct to all bands who get stuck in a creative formula.
Rating: 2/10, I'd give it less, but I still have hopes for this band's future... Words: Tom Hanno.
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