Three Days Grace – “Life Starts Now”

Ontario stars Three Days Grace have only managed three albums since forming way back in 1992 under the name Groundswell. With those kind of between-album breaks, it’s reasonable to expect quite a lot from their sporadic albums, and Life Starts Now more or less delivers. There’s a real hint of the break up album to their latest effort, featuring plenty of tracks lamenting the downfall of a loved-up relationship (“Bitter Taste”, “Someone Who Cares”, “Last To Know” and “Lost In You” in particular, though they’re far from alone). Three Days Grace seem to be in a particularly angst-ridden and slightly bitter mood, but they certainly know how to rock.

There’s a hint of Foo Fighters to their latest sound, though perhaps a tad less anthemic and more growling than Dave Grohl’s posse, while tracks like the infectious “Break” sound like Weezer in a seriously foul mood, emulating their “Hash Pipe” days, though with riffs just a fraction less compulsive. Life Starts Now is full of pulsing, leap around choruses, hefty riffs and melodic lyrics that reek of old-world rock, and it’s all put together quite exceptionally well, if in something of a radio-play inviting, easy to relate to manner.

The cover image of Thee Days Grace smashing the hell out of an assortment of televisions suggestions ‘Life Starts Now’ is a reference to anti-consumerist interest, but in fact it seems more likely to be a final stab at that woman who recently jilted… someone. Even hard rockers, it seems, have hearts attached to their well-worn sleeves. Three Days Grace haven’t become media darlings for nothing, though, and while this might not be either startlingly original or particularly inspiring, it is infectious, riff-tastic and far, far from dull.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Bitter Taste
02. Break
03. World So Cold
04. Lost In You
05. The Good Life
06. No More
07. Last To Know
08. Someone Who Cares
09. Bully
10. Without You
11. Goin’ Down
12. Life Starts Now

Run Time: 43:36
Release Date: 09.22.2009