Oh. My. Gawd. 🙄 Look what we have here, folks! It’s THREE DAYS GRACE, back at it again, releasing “Kill Me Fast”, which I’m sure is another instant classic destined for the bargain bin at your local gas station. This masterpiece 🤪, I mean, single, is from their upcoming album “Alienation” (because nothing says originality like naming your album after the feeling everyone gets when they hear your music). Apparently, this song is supposed to follow up their No. 1 hits “Apologies” (for still being a band?) and “Mayday” (as in, “Mayday! Mayday! Our careers are sinking!”), and that oh-so-memorable rock anthem “Dominate” (which, let’s be honest, only dominates the playlists of middle schoolers who think they’re edgy). Prepare yourselves, because “Alienation” is gonna set the tone as track one on the record…the tone of pure, unadulterated boredom.😴
THREE DAYS GRACE singer Adam Gontier (yes, the one who left and then came back like a bad penny) says, “‘Kill Me Fast’ is one of my favorite songs this band has ever written.” Oh, Adam, honey, bless your heart. If this is your favorite, I shudder to think what the rest of the album sounds like. He goes on to say it’s about “ripping the Band-Aid off” and begging someone to “just let you go.” Maybe he’s talking to the fans? 🤔 It’s about the “slow torture of not knowing where you stand.” Sounds about right, considering their current musical direction. He wants “the cut just to stop the bleeding.” Maybe he should just stick to singing and leave the metaphors to the professionals… or, you know, anyone else.🤦♀️
“Alienation” (still not over the title) is gracing (pun intended) us with its presence on August 22 via RCA Records. In a shocking twist, original THREE DAYS GRACE frontman Adam Gontier is back! It’s a reunion no one asked for, but here we are. He’ll be joining Matt Walst on vocals, along with Neil Sanderson (drums), Brad Walst (bass), and Barry Stock (guitars). It’s like a family reunion, but instead of awkward small talk, they’re making music that sounds like it was written in 2005. 🤷♀️
The twelve tracks on “Alienation” are supposed to “play a pivotal role in defining this significantly new-but-nostalgic chapter of the band.” Translation: they’re trying to sound modern while still clinging to their glory days. Good luck with that, guys. 🤞
Sanderson, ever the poet, says, “‘Alienation’ is a journey through inner collapse and outward defiance.” Wow, deep. He claims the songs reflect “isolation as a condition of existence, not just circumstance.” So, basically, they’re saying their music is depressing on purpose. He goes on to list anxiety, addiction, heartbreak, and disconnect, because nothing says “fresh and exciting” like rehashing the same old themes. But don’t worry, “buried in all the wreckage is something human — still reaching out.” Reaching out for what? A lifeline? A new genre? A better songwriter? 🆘
Here’s the track listing for “Alienation”, in case you want to torture yourself:
01. Dominate (still not dominating anything)
02. Apologies (they should be)
03. Mayday (send help)
04. Kill Me Fast (please do)
05. In Waves (of mediocrity)
06. Alienation (nailed it)
07. Never Ordinary (ft. Lindsey Stirling) (wait, what?)
08. Deathwish (fitting)
09. Don’t Wanna Go Home Tonight (because you’re stuck listening to this album?)
10. In Cold Blood (ice cold)
11. The Power (they wish)
12. Another Relapse (predictable)
In an interview with Canada’s The Metal Voice, Sanderson rambles on about how the band is a family and how Matt is Brad‘s younger brother. Apparently, this makes him qualified to be in the band. He then goes on to explain how bringing Adam back was a “natural fit” and how it “creates a completely new dimension.” Right, because two singers who sound vaguely similar is totally groundbreaking. He finishes by saying it feels like they’ve “come full circle” and the band “sounds bigger than ever.” Bigger, maybe. Better? Debatable. 🤨
Regarding the musical direction of the album, Neil says “Mayday” was inspired by their 2006 record “One-X.” So original! He describes the lyrics as “a social commentary about how sometimes you feel in life that you’re like hurling at just warp speed through time and space and you don’t quite know who’s at the wheel.” Okay, Neil, calm down. It’s just a song. He then claims the rest of the record has “a lot of really heavy moments.” Heavy like a sack of potatoes? He also mentions listening to PANTERA, which is hilarious because they sound nothing like PANTERA. He ends by saying they’re “writing from the heart and from the gut and deep down in the psyche.” Maybe they should try writing from the brain for once. 🧠
THREE DAYS GRACE played its first full show with Gontier in 12 years as the support act for DISTURBED. What a downgrade! 📉
In an interview with Nik Nocturnal, Adam says he feels “more excitement than anything” about being back in THREE DAYS GRACE. Sure, Adam, sure. He also mentions “nostalgia,” because that’s what everyone wants: more nostalgia. 🙄
Regarding sharing lead vocals with Matt, Adam says their voices “blend really well together.” Maybe too well. It’s hard to tell them apart! He also says Matt “grew up with the band,” which is code for “we couldn’t find anyone else.” 🤷♀️
Asked how they delegate vocal responsibilities, Adam says they’re “all sort of writing the new stuff together.” That explains a lot. He also mentions working with producers who have “a good idea of what to do with two singers, ’cause it hasn’t really been done before.” Hasn’t been done before? Seriously? Has he never heard of The Beatles, Alice In Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, KISS, or tons of other bands? 🤦♀️
“Mayday” was produced by Zakk Cervini and Dan Lancaster with vocal production by Howard Benson. Too many cooks in the kitchen, perhaps? In addition, they released an “epic” video (their words, not mine). I’m sure it’s just as groundbreaking as their music. 🙄
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
