Review Summary: If Matt Walst can evolve his emotions and show off some deeper feeling in his lyrics, then I am certain their next album will be a showstopper. But don’t rush it, boys. We can wait.
Between tours, on a presumably cold day in 2012, the Three Days Grace front man of almost 20 years, Adam Gontier unceremoniously called it quits on his band, and his throngs of fans. Although there are examples in the past of well-regarded lead singers taking off with no warning, there are few ways that could be more of a disservice to those that have supported a band and loved their music. Bassist Brad Walst comments that it was simply a letter from one of his “so-called” best friend’s lawyers that confirmed the split.
One can imagine the turmoil in a situation such as this, between both fan and bandmates alike. Also drawing on historical precedence, you could say many bands would throw in the towel. Much to the dismay of mainstream rock critics, and to the delight of perhaps half of former Three Days Grace fans, this was not the case. Adam Gontier, whether sincerely or perhaps not at all, suggested that the band move forward and continue on without him. The mantle was picked up by none other than the bassist Walst’s little brother, Matt, of My Darkest Days fame (or really not much fame at all).
The transition from a situated and well-acclimated front man to a fill-in should be expectedly, well, quite rough. One can see through a variety of live YouTube videos from early 2013 that this was, despite energy and effort, the case. However, over time, as also professed by band members, Matt developed into his role and found a deeper register to his angsty tone.
The lead single to “Human” was released in early 2014, and the song, “Painkiller”, did not disappoint. While the lyrics had certainly gone down a few levels from the prowess of Gontier, the catchiness of this track did not disappoint, as evidenced by its climb to #1 on the Mainstream Rock charts.
The follow-up single, “I Am Machine”, achieved equal success as a #1 single, and the two tracks carried the band to a March 31st release of “Human”, the first album post-Gontier. Like most mainstream music, there are pros and cons to the material presented to the listener in this album. As one would expect, there is not a lot of experimentation to be found here. You won’t find anything that strays too far from the tried and true formula of Three Day’s Grace past. It’s not necessarily a bad thing though. While the band’s previous tracks found some individuality in songs such as “Get Out Alive” and “No More”, this album takes a safe approach that is very listenable. Graded on a curve against Three Days Grace’s Mainstream Rock peers, I found the first six tracks to be very good.
“Human Race” is a good choice to start the album, although the “I don’t belong here” bit is over-played in the song, and the should-be chorus “I’m sick of running” is underplayed. “Painkiller” and “I Am Machine”, as previously noted are great, catchy singles, and both sport some of the better lyric writing on the album. “Fallen Angel” certainly feels contrived, but is catchy. “Landmine” sports some great instrumentalism, but as per most of the songs on this album, leaves some to be desired on the lyrics front. “Tell Me Why” stands out to me as future single material, and definitely strikes the same tone as the band’s previous standout track, “Never Too Late”.
After “I Am Machine”, I found little to encourage replay value on this album, besides the tracks “Car Crash” and “The Real You”. The former has some more variety in vocal delivery, as well as lyrical content (despite the obviously generic title), than you will find in many of the tracks on this album. “The Real You” starts off with piano, which I guarantee will be a welcome change to your ears if you are listening to this album from start to finish.
While the lyrical content and the overall theme of the album evokes a sense that the writer hasn’t graduated high school, the instrumentalism and and hooks show off something much better: a band that still has what it takes to top the charts, with or without their former front man. If Matt Walst can evolve his emotions and show off some deeper feeling in his lyrics, then I am certain their next album will be a showstopper. But don’t rush it, boys. We can wait.
Standout tracks: Painkiller, Tell Me Why, I Am Machine, Car Crash, The Real You.
