Three Days Grace
Small towns can leave the same indelible mark on people that big cities often do. No secrets. Eventually it all comes down to "settling in or getting out." If the talent is there, sports and music are well-traveled escape routes.
Three Days Grace bassist Brad Waist and singer-guitarist Adam Gontier hailed from the small Canadian burg of Norwood. Drummer Neil Sanderson grew up twenty-five miles away in a town called Peterborough. The constant bad weather and the stifling social environment where small town indiscretions have big city consequences led the group to explore the darker side of life. Re-locating to Toronto and teaming up with producer/songwriter Gavin Brown got Three Days Grace rolling. On the strength of "I Hate Everything About You" the group earned a publishing deal with EMI and began circulating demos which led to signing with Jive Records - as the only Rock act on a roster laden with popsters. Their self-titled debut was recorded on a farm outside of Boston and Woodstock, New York (keeping them in the small town environment). With the album in the can, the group added guitarist Barry Stock and launched a grueling supporting tour.
Three Days Grace barely got out of the gate before trouble hit. A depressed Gontier became addicted to drugs and alcohol. A stint in rehab followed the tour. Once out, he rejoined to the band, holed up in an Ontario cottage. For their next effort, Gontier wrote more personal songs. "The lyrics really speak out to you, especially if you're going through a tough time in your life," Gontier said in an interview. "One-X," released in '06, marked Stock's recording debut with the band.
The album rose to #2 (double platinum) on the Canadian chart with "Animal I Have Become" being the most played song in '06. The song referenced Gontier's regrets about his addictions. "A few of us got really carried away, especially myself. I became somebody I didn't want to be."
South of the boarder (that would be in the U.S.), the album peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200 going platinum.
Three Days Grace recorded '09 album "Life Starts Now" in Vancouver and L.A. The group's third studio effort featured the single "Break" which topped the Billboard Rock Songs chart for several consecutive weeks. "It's really just about if you don't like the situation you're in or what's going on around you, it's entirely up to you to break out of it," said guitarist Barry Stock in an interview with TheDeadbolt.com.
Three Days Grace relies on power chords and tough, dour vocals. "I Hate Everything About You" has ringing reverb drenched guitars but it's the spitting delivery of the title, as if designed specifically for concert sing-alongs, that puts it over. "Just Like You" owns a solid hook and a put down attitude. "I could be cold, I could be ruthless, just like you." "Burn" jams riffs together in a fevered frenzy. "Now Or Never" and "Born Like This" keep the angst going while effectively alternating tempos and rhythms.
Not that Three Days Grace are one-hit wonders but "Animal I Have Become" is such a stellar track that it stands far above the rest of "One-X." "Pain," ("rather feel pain than nothing at all"), "Let It Die," "Time Of Dying" and "Gone Forever," set a dark yet powerful tone. It helps that these songs and others are top notch and the band gives them the punch they deserve. Gontier's vocals are impassioned and totally committed. A traumatic experience like rehab doesn't always yield positive results but it sure drives "One-X."
"Life Starts Now" is another Alt. Metal shot. "Break" is a good song though Gontier gets a little silly with the lyrics ("feel like a vampire… get myself higher") - guess it doesn't matter as long as it rhythms. On the other hand, "The Good Life" is a stomping blast. A surprise is the pop oriented, though moving, "Lost In You," a mid-tempo track with some power. "Last To Know" talks about losing a first love to another. There's the line "first love, first to go." Obviously.
"Goin' Down" shows the band's arranging dexterity while keeping the energy. The set closes with the title track that is almost inspirational.