By: James Southworth
Rating: 2/5 Stars
Even though I haven't been the biggest fan of them at any point in my life, I still can't deny that I recognize the talent that was in Three Days Grace- especially when Adam Gontier was the lead vocalist. There was a real sincerity about them in their songwriting. The way their songs were written felt relatable to a young crowd, and the lyrics were smart (but not overly smart). Musically the band's sound has been very identifiable. There's something about it that easily captivates the ear. I have immense respect for their albums "One-X", "Life Starts Now", and "Transit of Venus" (an album that is highly underrated in my opinion). This band had a noticeable downfall in terms of quality once Gontier departed and Matt Walst became the lead vocalist. Their album "Human" had mixed reactions at best from fans. It was understandable why. The album was not that interesting, though I personally think there were some gems to be found in it. Unfortunately the same can't be said for the band's new release "Outsider". This album comes across as forgettable and oftentimes cringeworthy in how much the band is trying to appeal to its fanbase as well as the radio.
There are a couple of songs on this release that are good, though most of them aren't really anything special. "Infra-Red" is an undeniably catchy track. This one does a good job at fusing electronics and guitar work together (unlike the rest of this album- more on that later). It creates an interesting and appealing sound. It is easy to head bang along to this track, and the chorus definitely hooks you in. This song isn't the greatest thing in the world or anything, but it's fine for what it is. My favorite track definitely comes in "The Abyss". Honestly, this song might be too good for this album. It does something that no other song really does on this album: it is bold. The song has a musically intense background from start to finish, with effective guitar riffs and drum work thrown in. Walst even lets loose a pretty vicious scream at the end of the song. His vocal performance is passionate throughout, and the lyrics are filled with interesting imagery: "Looking through distorted eyes/A mirror that I can't recognize/No way out, no exit signs...". This song has the only lyrical moments that stand out for me in a positive way. I appreciate "Love Me or Leave Me" for creating a dark atmosphere with its electronic effects. The lyrics aren't really anything to write home about, but they serve the song. Matt's vocals actually work well against this song's soundscape. "Nothing to Lose But You" also gets some credit for at least trying to be an earnest relationship song, even if it has a few music and lyrical tropes here and there.
That's about it for the good parts of this album. As you can tell, even most of the songs I liked on here, I also had to admit I had slight issues with. That isn't a good sign when even your favorite songs on an album aren't really that great. It bodes even worse for this release that almost every bad track here is really bad. You get a sense of what you're in for on this album quickly with the opening track and one of the singles "Right Left Wrong". Even that title made me shudder a little because of how the band probably thought they were being clever with it. This is one of the most cliched puns you could make, and the song is about exactly what you think. It has Walst questioning what direction he should take in life, but ultimately deciding that there's no real direction that is right or wrong. It's such an insipid and cliched message to give to a young fanbase. The same goes for the lead single "The Mountain", which has made me more angry the more I've listened to it. This song uses mountains as a symbol for obstacles we have to overcome. Because we definitely haven't heard mountains used in this way before. Musically and lyrically, this track checks off every box for what is successful in radio rock right now, right down to having an electronic-infused beginning. This whole album uses electronics, and its incorporation fails more often than succeeds. The band either does not enough with it or does way too much instead of trying to find any sense of balance. If you thought "The Mountain" was generic enough, then get ready for your mind to be changed. "I Am An Outsider" is somehow even more bland. Seriously, TDG thought THIS song was good enough to be the title track? The lyrics in this song offer nothing new or interesting to the listener: "I am an outsider/I don't care about the in-crowd, no/Better off on my own now". This whole song sounds like it's on cruise control. The lyrics are so blatant in their genericism that it's actually sort of hilarious. The singles for this album are some of the worst it has to offer, which doesn't bode well for this release as a whole.
Believe it or not, it does actually get worse than these three songs. "Me Against You" has a case of being so unbelievably bad it's almost good. I started laughing the first time I heard this song. The lyrics sound like they came out of Matt's middle school diary: "You need to get this straight/I will never cooperate with you/You try to control me/And the pain I feel seems to make you happy". These lyrics aren't poetic or interesting. They represent someone who's trying to be those things, but failing so badly. In the music department, this song is a jumbled mess. The guitar work sounds way too distorted and doesn't mesh well at all with the over-emphasized electronics. Matt's voice is criminally overproduced and even sounds explicitly autotuned. Not a single thing about this song works. The worst song to me, though, is "The New Real". What was the band thinking when they were making this song? Once again, it's confused in the music department, not really sounding like it has a coherent melody. It's the lyrics that get under my skin though. This song uses words like "Maserati", "van sticker family", "gangster wannabe", and "textbook insanity" in its lyrics. Awkward wording like that just doesn't work in any song, no matter the message. This song feels a little hypocritical in that the band is critiquing people who are trying to be something they're not. Three Days Grace are clearly trying to be deep and meaningful with their lyrics, but the writing and musicality is so poor that it comes across as shallow. So, in a way, the band is actually representing themselves in this track. I can't stand this song at all, and will not be coming back to it any time soon. There's nothing all that memorable about "Villain I'm Not", "Strange Days", or "Chasing the First Time". All the songs just feel like cheap clones of other well known TDG songs, so why wouldn't I go back and just listen to the ones that I like?
As you can tell, I am not at all a fan of this album. I definitely lean towards hating it more than I do loving it. "The Abyss" is the only song here that I can see myself coming back to. The other good songs here are good in the fact that they don't suck as much as the weak tracks. The weak tracks here number far too many. Almost all of them come across in the worst negative light, with some of them being the worst rock songs I've heard in years. I'll admit, I can have a soft spot for rock as it's my favorite genre, and I like a lot of bands that are radio friendly. Still, I'm not afraid to call out bands that bring across the worst possible representations of radio rock. Three Days Grace is one of the most popular rock bands, and the fact that they made such a generic release could be a bad implication for what rock radio will look like in the coming years. Please, whatever you do, don't listen to this album. You'd be better off listening to "One-X" or "Life Starts Now". I don't think I can possibly be a fan of this version of TDG. Not any more.
Favorite Songs: "The Abyss", "Infra-Red", "Love Me or Leave Me"
Least Favorite Songs: "The New Real", "Me Against You", "I Am An Ousider", "The Mountain", "Right Left Wrong"
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