•
Versione 1
Rating: We left Story of The Year in 2004, during their consecration thanks to the great success of “Page Avenue”, a debut album that to this day, anno domini 2023, can boast an incredible success of both public and critical acclaim.
The tumultuous relationship with John Feldmann (producer of the band's first work) and the lingering tensions despite the album's success, due to a very forced creative process, led to an inevitable break. The production of the second studio album was therefore entrusted to Steve Evetts (Sepultura, Kid Dynamite, Symphony X), who gave free rein to the four from St. Louis, allowing them to unleash their overflowing creative streak.
Whether it was the incredible desire to prove they were still in the game after a gold record debut, or the golden opportunity for Dan Marsala to let out all the anger he had had to hold back until that moment, success already seemed a certainty.
“In The Wake of Determination” not only has a very explicit title but also a notable sound. Recorded at Steamy Nook, Ryan Phillips' personal studio, guitarist and co-founder of the band, the album is composed of twelve tracks, plus the ghost track "A Silent Murder / Slow Jam" (born as an intro, then placed at the end of the tracklist). The "homemade" dimension hasn't slowed down the tight work schedules that, as with “Page Avenue”, involved eight to ten-hour daily recording sessions, with no exception for weekends. Ryan Phillips still remembers the abrasions on his fingers that at the end of the day didn't even allow him to bend the guitar strings. This is to give an idea.
The melody, which is the band's typical trait, is not lacking, even if screamo prevails in almost fifty minutes. Marsala's timbre, on this occasion, largely resembles that of Greg Graffin from Bad Religion. Much of the lyrics were written in tandem by Marsala and bassist Adam Russell but without direct consultation or collaboration. At the end of the work, with the other band members, the most interesting passages were selected, giving life to the finished product.
The lyrics convey that healthy aggressiveness of someone who wants to shout their intentions in life's face. “We Don’t Care Anymore”, the first track (but recorded last) tells us it's good to do what we love for ourselves, without worrying about others' approval. “Take Me Back”, which evokes sounds akin to Rise Against, ironically suggests growing up by learning that ignorance is pure bliss.
Among the most powerful tracks, “March of the Dead”, “Meathead”, “Pay Your Enemy”, “Five Against the World” and “Our Time Is Now”, with the purest hardcore punk character, increase the dose on the trail of distrust, recommending never blindly trusting anyone, all with a fairly explicit reference to the difficulties of the early days.
“Stereo”, entirely written by Marsala, criticizes the greed of the music industry, more inclined to focus on profit at the expense of the joy of creating music with passion. The track contains obvious references to “Page Avenue” and its production process. “Sleep” is the emotional "clear" ballad, given that the other, “A Silent Murder”, remains in the most hidden part of the album.
“Wake Up the Voiceless” and “Is This My Fate?” He Asked Them” have a common denominator, namely the condemnation of injustice with a desire for revenge. If in the first, with its explicit title, the singing urges revolution, the second, with powerful riffs and a reckless rhythm, condemns gender discrimination. The theme of defending LGBT rights was already hot in 2005 and remains perfectly in line with the times. In “Taste The Poison” they talk about addiction to alcohol and drugs and how the loss of inhibitions and relationship with reality brutally puts us in direct contact with the truth we do not want to see.
What makes any of the band's works exciting, and this one in particular, is the desire to shake through healthy anger and the most aggressive punk rock, bringing us back to calm through melody and food for thought.
“In The Wake of Determination” is the pursuit of fulfillment by those who wanted each track, with the awareness of being only at the beginning of a journey of both human and musical evolution. They want to make noise but without too much carelessness, showing that with punk rock you can touch the soul and heart. With lots of determination.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 We Don't Care Anymore (03:31)
Underneath the gun in front of waiting eyes
Our time has just begun no second chance tonight
So we walk the longest days to live inside the shortest nights
We compromise our hearts to keep them satisfied
The shadows of our past, hard to ignore but judgment means nothing that's not what we're fighting for
We don't care anymore
We don't care anymore
We don't care anymore
We don't care anymore
Underneath the gun in front of doubting eyes
We walk this path as one take on the world tonight
And we'll carve our names into their bones
We'll never sell ourselves that's not what we're fighting for
We don't care anymore
We don't care anymore
We don't care anymore
We don't care anymore
I won't let this love, I won't let this love die, I won't let it die
There is only one thing that matters this time
At the hands of judgment I won't let it die, no sacrifice, regrets left behind, I won't let it die
This time, yeah, this time I won't let it die, that's not what we're fighting for
We don't care anymore
We don't care anymore
We don't care anymore
We don't care anymore
We don't care anymore
No we don't care anymore
We don't care anymore
We don't care anymore
I won't let this love, I won't let this love die
04 Taste the Poison (03:44)
it's the same old story
i've seen it all too many times
it's the fall from glory
that makes you feel
place your needle to the record, stab it down
it feels good to be the one to break the skin
so run with me now, look at me now
you're face down, tell yourself you're happy once again
right now you need this more than anything
but it's never enough, it's never enough for you
and it's the same old story
i've seen it all too many times
it's the fall from glory
that makes you feel alive
and you know the hardest truth can flow like water now
break down, the moment that it touches your mouth
so place your lips against the bottle, take it down
it feels good to lose control of everything
but i wasn't myself, i wasn't myself she said
and it's the same old story
i've seen it all too many times
it's the fall from glory
that makes you feel alive
and it's the same old story
i've seen it all too many times
but it's not what you wanted
can anyone feel, can anyone see
can anyone taste the poison that we need
that we need
place your needle to the record, stab it down
it feels good to be the one to break the skin
so run with me now, look at me now
you're face down, this is what you wanted
this is what you wanted, this is what you wanted
and i know, but we've lost control
HERE WE GO
yah can anyone feel, can anyone see, yeah
can anyone taste the poison that we need
yah can anyone feel, can anyone see, yeah
can anyone taste the poison that we need
that we need, that we need, that we need
yah that we need
05 Stereo (03:29)
We're all born within
This thoughtless world
A generation bought and sold
By a reproduced, stolen, copied package
We've been taught to love this robotic formula
Built to please ignorant minds, uncultured masses
Do we know, that our ears have failed us now?
Stereo, stereo
Tired bullshit dressed in gold
Scan the youth, find the pieces
(Our ears have failed us now)
Stereo, stereo
Hear the world that you've created
Fall to pieces
We're all bought and sold!
Radio waves still transmit the same
Replica that wreaks of staleness and decay
Unless we resist, and open our eyes to this
Uniform and standard model they insist we consume
Our hearts have failed us now
Stereo, stereo
Tired bullshit dressed in gold
Scan the youth, find the pieces
(Our hearts have failed us now)
Stereo, stereo
Hear the world that you've created
Fall to pieces
But do we know
WE'VE ALL BEEN BOUGHT AND SOLD
YEAH, BOUGHT AND SOLD
WE'VE ALL BEEN BOUGHT AND SOLD
YEAH, BOUGHT AND SOLD
We've all been sold to a world that failed us
Stereo, stereo
Tired bullshit dressed in gold
Scan the youth, find the pieces
(Our hearts have failed us now)
Stereo, stereo
Hear the world that you've created
Fall to pieces
Stereo, stereo
Tired bullshit dressed in gold
Scan the youth, find the pieces
Stereo, stereo
Hear the world that you've created
Fall to pieces
We're all bought and sold, we're all bought and sold
WE'VE BEEN BOUGHT!
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By Gallagher87
"At first listen, especially the first part of the album seems like a failed attempt to imitate Linkin Park or the 'old' Lostprophets; in reality, Story-Year is a well-established reality that over time will gain more and more space."
"Take Me Back features a catchy chorus and a dense melodic ending with the use of piano, making it one of the best on the album."
