Three Days Grace Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
The third studio album from Canadian arena rockers Three Days Grace treads familiar ground, presenting 12 slabs of the kind of reliable, accessible and serviceable hard rock that will always have an audience. 2006's One-X dealt heavily with vocalist Adam Gontier's personal demons, a theme that continues on Life Starts Now, albeit with a hint of sunlight. With a sound that lands somewhere in between Breaking Benjamin, Collective Soul, and Godsmack, (Gontier sounds like a less volatile Trent Reznor) Life Starts Now treats the well-worn metal themes of anger, isolation, heartache, and redemption with the kind of begrudging respect they deserve, pumping out a competent flurry of fist-bump anthems ("Break," "Bully") and world-weary, midtempo rockers ("World So Cold," "Last to Know" that are so painfully earnest that one can almost hear director Michael Bay pitching them to the studio for inclusion on the soundtracks for his next ten Transformers sequels. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Three Days Grace continue their accessible alt-metal attack of blunt lyrics and crunching rhythms with their sophomore effort, One-X. Thematically based around dealing with the disconnect felt while Three Days Grace were on the road in support of their 2003 album, the music remains catchy despite its lyrical darkness. Not surprisingly, the songs mostly revolve around feelings of isolation, tumultuous relationships, and anguished loneliness -- but through all their misery and confusion, Three Days Grace ultimately embrace the difficulties as merely a part of being human ("I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all" from "Pain"). The band's simple and direct approach owns a certain charm that makes One-X an enjoyable listen, albeit hardly innovative. The bandmembers still have no desire to mask sentiments behind perverse metaphors; just as their 2003 smash single "I Hate Everything About You" addressed a problematic relationship in powerfully straight terms, so do tracks on One-X. For instance -- and just so there's no room for confusion -- "Let It Die" frankly states "I swear I never meant to let it die/I just don't care about you anymore." And the forthright "Riot" ("Let's start a riot!") is one of a few riled-up outsider anthems on hand. But, there are also a number of tracks present that find Three Days Grace adding a few interesting twists to their hard-hitting formula that not only show a gentler side to the guys, but also work out rather nicely. Calming things down a bit, fluid instrumentation and vocalist Adam Gontier's steady delivery make the ominous "Get Out Alive" one of their strongest (though softer) songs, while "Over and Over" employs impassioned strings for an exploration of, yes, dysfunctional relationships. "Pain" finds the band channeling its inner Soundgarden and "Animal I Have Become" has a slight singsongy chorus to complement the track's thick riffing. There is no reason that fans of the band shouldn't embrace this album as the satisfying listen that it is. Some further distinctive qualities could be useful in helping separate Three Days Grace more from their alt-metal peers, but One-X certainly plays as a proficient step in the right direction. ~ Corey Apar, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Three Days Grace's self-titled debut showcases the simplicity of their music, which is both the band's biggest strength and biggest weakness. The album's taut arrangements and grinding but melodic sound are quintessential alt-metal, suggesting a much poppier, less cerebral Helmet (or among Three Days Grace's contemporaries, Chevelle), and while the production is mostly simple and crunchy, it occasionally delves into Linkin Park-like atmospheres. At its best, the band's focus and adherence to alt-metal's formulas -- coupled with tight songwriting and some unexpectedly pretty choruses -- results in a strong tracks that are more memorable than the work of many of their peers. "I Hate Everything About You" was Three Days Grace's big single and remains the band's best song, gaining most of its power from its directness and bluntness in examining a dysfunctional relationship. Though there's nothing else quite as strong on the rest of the album, "Born Like This," "Just Like You," and "Scared" are also good examples of the band's surprisingly hooky songwriting. However, when the songwriting isn't quite up to par, Three Days Grace's simplicity becomes more generic than focused. The cookie-cutter angst of song titles like "Burn," "Drown," and "Now or Never" and lyrics like "Home"'s "By the time you come home/I'm already stoned/I can hardly wait to leave this place" may tap into the feelings of the band's audience, but they're not especially distinctive. The album's second half falters a bit when compared to the punch of Three Days Grace's first few songs, although the power ballads "Take Me Under" and "Wake Up" show that the band is equally good at (somewhat) quieter songs as well as loud ones. Although this debut is a little uneven, it's also promising. Three Days Grace are definitely one of the most accessible alt-metal bands of the 2000s; they just need to add some more distinctiveness to their sound. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
