Seeing as how I like to review albums no one else has, I recently looked through my collection and rediscovered Die Trying’s self-titled album. If the name Die Trying doesn’t ring a bell right away, remember a song by the name of
Oxygen’s Gone? Well even if you don’t, here’s my review anyway.
Die Trying formed in 2001 and released its self-titled debut album in 2003. Thanks to some catchy tunes and exposure from friends Papa Roach, Die Trying got their chance at rock stardom. Back in 2003 it looked like these guys had everything going their way. They signed with major record label Island Records, had a video that had regular playtime on MTV and were on tour with multi-platinum artist Papa Roach. Eventually their good luck would run out. The band was forced to change their name due to conflicts with the Die Trying clothing brand and problems amongst the members of the band began to arise. Die Trying broke up soon after. But despite their short-lived career, Die Trying had enough time to leave us their self-titled debut.
Die Trying was:
Jassen Jensen – Vocals
Jack Sinamian – Guitar
Steve Avery – Bass
Matt Conley – Drums
Now you may have already noticed these guys are a part of the pop-rock genre. With that label all kinds of negative presumptions are made. You’re might be thinking to yourself, “these guys just play power chords, they only sing about relationships, they probably weren’t that good if MTV played their stuff,” etc. Well…….yes and no. They surely aren’t any Sum 41 but they definitely aren’t a Simple Plan either if you catch my drift. Allow to me explain myself and educate you on the album that is
Die Trying.
Let’s start with the things I liked about this album. Throughout the album, Die Trying shows plenty of energy. Songs such as
Never Good Enough and
Die Trying are good examples of this. There’s nothing worse than uninspired vocals and overly simple, boring guitar riffs. Both of which lead to a dull live performance. These guys on the other hand display neither of those characteristics. Die Trying’s catchy, sing-along choruses and edgy riffs would provide for a good live show. Every song on this album except
So Long and
Words That Kill are very optimistic and bright-sounding. There are tracks that will begin mellow or depressing, but the choruses and bridges always bring back a “happy” feeling to the song.
One of the better songs off the album,
Conquer the World, is a good representation of Die Trying’s energy. Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach contributes to the vocals on this one. As I’m sure you have guessed, this song has a take over the world attitude about it. Many bands have written songs about this, and it always seems to be a fun topic to listen to. Very similar to how AC/DC has so many songs about rocking. The songs themselves aren’t always the greatest, but how can you not love phrases like “For those about to rock, we salute you!” Anyways, the alternation of the two vocalists’ voices and the Jassen’s singing over Jacoby’s screaming are highlights of
Conquer the World.
The end of the album presents
So Long. In my opinion this is the best song off of the album. It is the one slow, emotional track on the album. The song creates a very sad atmosphere. While the first half of the song is very mellow and sad, the bridge and final chorus build up for a very epic sound. The repetition of the title of the song makes for a great ending to the album.
Another song worth mentioning is
Oxygen’s Gone. This was the only song that Die Trying released as a single, but it was a good choice nonetheless. The guitar riff in the intro is a good opening to the chorus at the beginning of the song. I went for years without listening to this album but I still remembered that riff and it being followed by “my oxygen’s gone!” A very simple song, but it’s a good representation of the band.
As far as the individual musicians go, this album is mediocre. Jack lays down some catchy guitar riffs. One problem Jack has on this album is he is far too consistent with what he plays. Nearly all of the songs consist of a heavy riff for the chorus and a relatively clean, plucking riff for the verses. As for the bass, Steve usually plays along with the guitar, making the songs a little less interesting. But when he doesn’t follow the guitar, the bass usually sounds pretty good. A few slides here and there (
One Day at a Time) or subtle but slick lines (
Words That Kill) sound great when they appear. The drums are relatively good. While they aren’t the most technical or complicated beats, they are completely different from song to song and they show Matt definitely has some skills (see
F*** You). Long story made short: there aren’t virtuosos in Die Trying, but each member plays their part well and there is clearly some talent behind each of them. Pop-rock has never been that skillful of a genre, but I think it’s safe to say these guys do it better than most.
Something I didn’t like about this album is the lack of different issues behind the lyrics. Nearly every song is about a relationship in one way or another. And by doing so, Die Trying fall into the trap of having a boy band sound. A major problem with having a “boy band” sound is having corny or cliché lyrics. One song in particular,
Dirty Dirty, suffers the most from that flaw. The song opens with a borrowed lyric from what I think was an early 90s song. “I know what girls like, and I know what girls want.” This lyric also makes up part of the chorus. It is accompanied by a relatively heavy riff. When the two are combined it makes for a really weak, cheesy sound. But what tops off
Dirty Dirty, is the phone call in the middle of the song. That’s right, a phone call. Jassen answers a call from his girlfriend. Where have I heard of this before? On yeah, the Backstreet Boys. Now I don’t think the Backstreet Boys are complete garbage, but if you do, steer clear of this song.
Overall, Die Trying’s self-titled debut is a good album, not great, just good. Some things that could have helped it was variation in song structure, maybe adding a solo here or there, and Jassen writing about something other than relationships. While I’d argue that
Dirty Dirty is the only bad track on there, there are definitely some fillers (
Runaway and
Love and Guns). Because debut albums are rarely any given band’s best, I would have liked to see what they could have done with a sophomore release. For a short time this album was on regular rotation in my CD player, but because of its fillers and lack of individuality, it hasn’t stood the test of time. So my advice to anyone interested, check out some of their stuff online, or look up Jassen’s new band; Vanity Kills. Maybe even download the tracks I recommended (legally of course!). But don’t buy this expecting an album that you will listen to and enjoy forever.
