Three Days Grace
One-X

THE REVIEW

After three years of silence since the release of their self-titled album, the Canadians from Norwood, Three Days Grace, return to the market with their new record "One-X".

During these years, the group has conducted an intense on-the-road activity, holding many concerts in an effort to expand their fan base. There has also been a new entry in the line-up with Barry Stock joining as lead guitarist to support the frontman and guitarist Adam Gontier. 

It should be noted that two songs from this album ("Animal I Have Become" and "Riot") were included in the soundtrack of the wrestling game Smackdown vs Raw 2007.

The album continues the good things the band had shown us with their previous work, with songs with a simple structure, yet immediately emotionally engaging. While still following the path of its predecessor, that is the path of rock/metal, "One-X" turns out to be slightly more mature than the previous one, managing to blend more melodic and slow pieces with compositions where the powerful and distorted guitars and Gontier's rough and energetic voice take center stage. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lack of fine-tuning in the album's tracklist arrangement, as the more powerful songs are placed in the first part of the album, leaving us deprived of adrenaline afterward and making room for more melodic songs, but the adrenaline then returns to flow in abundance towards the final parts.

But now let's deconstruct the album and analyze it under a microscope.

It starts with "It's All Over" which, after an intro led by guitars only, explodes with its energy in the beautiful chorus, and here appears the first rather long and clean guitar solo, a new element given its almost total absence in the self-titled. It continues with "Pain", a fairly calm verse guided by sweet guitar arpeggios that contrast with the energy of the refrain. Moving on to "Animal I Have Become", the first single and also one of the best songs on the album, with a bass intro that perfectly sets the tempo and characterizes the piece. In the fourth position is the more relaxed "Never Too Late", which features the use of acoustic guitar and will also be one of the singles of the platter. 

We move towards the central parts of the album with the next "On My Own", distinguished by the broken rhythm created by the guitars, and "Riot", a very angry track, where all the metal energy emerges. But the surprises come with "Get Out Alive" and "Over ‘n Over", which stand out from the rest of the album for their tranquil nature, in short, two ballads. While the former is very calm and sweet for two-thirds and structurally can remind of "Take Me Under", another of their songs from the first album, "Over ‘n Over" is accompanied by strings, creating an impactful sound, but overall it proves inconsistent and uninteresting compared to the others. In between these two, we find the rock verve of "Let It Die", accompanied by acoustic guitar in the verses. But the adrenaline returns with the beautiful and powerful "Time of Dying", the best of the album, also a song that perfectly describes their style with guitars that raise the volume and release great energy throughout the track.

Are they tired of playing? Not at all... Just listen to the next "Gone Forever" with its melancholic flavor and played at times with acoustics that follow the same scheme as "Never Too Late". And the album closes with a bang with the title track "One-X", which is certainly the most complete song and a sign of the quartet's maturation, opened by a drum solo, this I would define as a long ride supported by enveloping riffs, not to mention the excellent guitar solo and closed by great final choruses.

Compared to the debut album, there haven't been many changes at least in terms of genre, even though there is some stylistic-compositional innovation:  the inclusion of some solos (a very commendable choice), greater use of acoustics compared to the past, some sonic experimentation from the use of new instruments (refer to "Over ‘n Over"), and a few more listenable ballads compared to the previous work, which didn't contain many true ballads. Also good are the lyrics, which mostly speak of melancholy, loneliness, and life.

What can I say, the group may be unknown to many, but they definitely deserve to be listened to. In conclusion, a very good CD that confirms the band's skills, although in my opinion, the first one remains superior.