{"id":10730,"date":"2018-03-11T10:00:55","date_gmt":"2018-03-11T14:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.altwire.net\/?p=10730"},"modified":"2023-12-06T06:39:44","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T11:39:44","slug":"album-review-three-days-grace-outsider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/fr\/album-review-three-days-grace-outsider\/","title":{"rendered":"[Album Review] Three Days Grace – Outsider"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every anger-induced, angst-ridden kid from the early 2000s remembers blasting MTV\u2019s greatest rock music videos. Probably through cheap stereo subwoofers rigged into your overpriced Sony flat screen (which your dad still<\/em> insists was a \u2018great\u2019 idea at the time), or just the poor TV\u2019s internal speakers straining valiantly to cope with Syst\u00e8me d'un Down<\/strong>\u2019s \u2018Chop Suey\u2019 and Linkin Park<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s \u2018One Step Closer\u2019, or perhaps Ma\u00efs<\/strong>\u2019s \u2018Freak On a Leash\u2019 with a little helping of 3 portes plus loin<\/strong>\u2019s \u2018Kryptonite\u2019. If you\u2019re the kind of person that grew up during (or at least remembers) the \u2018golden era\u2019 of early 2000s nu-metal and hard rock, then you remember \u2018I Hate Everything About You\u2019 by Canadian post-grunge outfit Prolongation de trois jours<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Bursting onto a new millennium\u2019s rock scene in 2003, boasting a final total of 46 weeks on the Mainstream Rock chart, with a twangy acoustic riff and lead singer Adam Gontier<\/strong>\u2019s coarse, unforgiving demonization of many an abusive relationship, \u2018I Hate Everything About You\u2019 immediately cemented the band in the minds and hearts of all those bitter and young, finding familiarity and justification in Gontier<\/strong>\u2019s vengeful catharsis. The band\u2019s first album Prolongation de trois jours<\/em> and second single \u2018Just Like You\u2019 swiftly followed, the latter of which being the first number one hit of the group\u2019s career, and with crunchy, overdriven guitar riffage and Gontier <\/strong>once again lashing out at those having done him wrong, Prolongation de trois jours<\/strong> were was blasted into fame and fortune.<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s hard to mention Prolongation de trois jours<\/strong> these days without inevitably discussing Gontier<\/strong>\u2019s sudden departure from the band in early 2013, barely three months following the release of the group\u2019s fourth effort, Transit of Venus<\/em>. The hurried recruitment of My Darkest Days<\/strong> vocalist (and brother to bassist Brad<\/strong>) Matt Walst<\/strong> swiftly followed, and the Canadian hard rockers gallantly embarked upon the planned Transit of Venus <\/em>promotional tour. Before long it was announced that Walst <\/strong>would remain a permanent replacement vocalist, effectively disbanding the lesser known My Darkest Days<\/strong>. The group eventually released their fifth studio effort in 2015, titled Human. <\/em><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, while 2009 release La vie commence maintenant<\/em> et 2013 Transit of Venus <\/em>had both received relatively mixed-to-positive reception, Humain<\/em> proved to many what had already been heavily suspected \u2013 that without Adam Gontier<\/strong> at the helm, Prolongation de trois jours <\/strong>had effectively lost their spark. While Walst<\/strong> makes for a competent enough vocalist, and tracks such as \u2018Human\u2019, \u2018I Am Machine\u2019 and \u2018The Real You\u2019 displayed the band\u2019s potential, the generally rather generic, lackluster material found throughout much of Humain<\/em> ultimately lacked any real substance or growth, and was criticized by many for its overall simplicity. Of course, whether or not Humain<\/em> had been just a natural misstep while the group found their feet again and 2018 release, Outsider<\/em>, would see a return to better form, ultimately remained to be seen.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, again, if Outsider<\/em>\u2019s pre-release singles were anything to go by, the group\u2019s sixth effort mostly came across as a complete rehash of Humain<\/em>\u2019s already lesser quality material: lead single \u2018The Mountain\u2019 treads the familiar ground of \u2018I Am Machine\u2019, to bitterly reduced impact. A dull, rudimentary guitar riff, and Walst<\/strong>\u2019s tired, uninspired repetitions of \u201cevery day I\u2019m just survivin\u2019, keep climbing the mountain\u201d <\/em>have very little of the intended call to arms effect that is obviously desired. Secondary release \u2018I Am an Outsider\u2019 does little better, boasting what is quite possibly one of the worst choruses of Prolongation de trois jours<\/strong>\u2019s career (while blatantly recycling Marilyn Manson<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s \u2018Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)\u2019 introductory guitar riff, I might add): \u201cI am an outsider, I don\u2019t care about the in-crowd, no. I\u2019m better off on my own now.\u201d <\/em>Thankfully, although still featuring a precariously average chorus, third single \u2018Right Left Wrong\u2019 directs Outsider <\/em>(ironically) into slightly better territory; it\u2019s still much of the same uninspired, chugging monotony but Walst<\/strong> offers a better performance vocally, and the track ends things on a fist-pumping blast of a bridge. Neil Sanderson<\/strong> crashes valiantly through the mix with huge aggressive percussion, and the novelty of Walst<\/strong>\u2019s angsty deliverance of \u201cand I don\u2019t even know where I\u2019m going to, but I don\u2019t want any motherfucking part of you\u201d<\/em> is likely to appease enough, albeit being very much on the nose.<\/p>\n

As for what follows beyond Outsider<\/em>\u2019s pre-release material, it sadly does little more to recover things; \u2018Me Against You\u2019 sees Walst<\/strong> attempting some strange, sinister impersonation of G\u00e9rard Way<\/a><\/strong>'s Ma romance chimique<\/a><\/strong>-era delivery (\u201cyou can\u2019t win against my kind of crazy\u201d<\/em>), but alongside some awkwardly executed vocal processing, it genuinely sounds quite odd<\/em> and lands rather flatly compared to what you can only assume he was going for. The track itself fait<\/em> see some deviation from the rudimentary radio-rock structure that much of Outsider <\/em>relies on, but overall it\u2019s generally rather forgettable. Still recycling former ideas, \u2018Chasing the First Time\u2019 blatantly reuses \u2018Chalk Outline\u2019s fuzzy, introductory bass stabs, and similarly utilized synthesizer work. It could be forgivable if the track itself was at least okay, but after the sixth or seventh repeat of \u201cthe first time, the first high\u201d<\/em> within the space of barely 20 seconds, the \u2018hook\u2019 is dead and buried before the track even has a chance to get off the ground. In all honesty, it\u2019s about as filler as it gets for Outsider<\/em>, and should have been scrapped the moment it was written. Are things now so complacent that you\u2019re content with ripping off your own material<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Although of course, credit where credit is due: the album has the occasional moment that at least slightly redeems things. \u2018Nothing to Lose but You\u2019 takes a stab at being Outsider<\/em>\u2019s leading ballad, and while it\u2019s no \u2018Gone Forever\u2019 or \u2018Never Too Late\u2019 and suffers from some relatively uninspired lyrical content (\u201ccause if I didn\u2019t have you, I\u2019d be better off dead \u2013 you\u2019re the only reason I\u2019m still alive\u201d<\/em>), Walst <\/strong>delivers what is easily one of his best vocal performances on the record. As for the instrumental side of things, \u2018Infra-Red\u2019 features some of the best instrumentation seen on Outsider<\/em>, a catchy enough riff and some actually rather atmospheric lead guitar that works very effectively. Lyrically, the track is disappointing, but what frustrates is that it\u2019s moments such as these that prove Barry Stock<\/strong> can<\/em> still write interesting material. Yet\u00a0once again, what could be something great is unfortunately diluted into another half-hearted, bland attempt at a radio single. On a far more positive note, we have \u2018Strange Days\u2019, which actually sees the band trying something a little bit new; alongside a cocky, almost southern rock guitar riff and some unnerving warbling synthesizer work, Matt<\/strong> Walst <\/strong>delivers one of the most intriguing lyrical moments of the record, when he suggests, \u201craise a glass to the end of it all – who\u2019s to blame when it\u2019s everyone\u2019s fault?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, there probably needs to be some clarification here\u2026 Matt Walst<\/strong> est pas<\/u> the sole reason for the failings of Humain<\/em> et Outsider. <\/em>Instrumentally, it can\u2019t be denied that this is the weakest it\u2019s ever been for Prolongation de trois jours<\/strong>; the majority of the riffs are boring and overproduced, and the huge percussion of \u2018Riot\u2019, \u2018Scared\u2019 or even \u2018Sign of the Times\u2019 is largely absent here too. Sure, Walst <\/strong>is completely out of his comfort zone (this is the guy who started his career with the likes of \u2018Porn Star Dancing\u2019, \u2018Move Your Body\u2019 and \u2018Casual Sex\u2019), but what made Adam Gontier<\/strong> so effective by comparison was the simple matter of the inner demons and life experiences that fed into the lyrical content. Riot<\/em> thrives on the aggressive frustration that Gontier <\/strong>faced during a stage of personal rehabilitation. It wasn\u2019t contrived, it was cathartic. <\/em>Matt Walst<\/strong> is far better suited to exploring the likes of My Darkest Days<\/strong>\u2019 \u2018Sick and Twisted Affair\u2019, \u2018Nature of the Beast\u2019 or \u2018Goodbye\u2019, not half-heartedly attempting to replicate Gontier<\/strong>\u2019s catharsis through bored, generic radio-rock choruses.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, as far as hoping Outsider<\/em> would be some sort of revitalization for the Canadian hard rockers, their 2018 release unfortunately falls very, tr\u00e8s<\/em> far from the mark. There\u2019s nothing fun about a band losing their spark, but when it feels so uninspired and paint-by-numbers, with a blatant focus on being safe and marketable, reacting to this work with anything less than exasperation would be an insult to the artistic integrity of previous and far superior material.\u00a0Prolongation de trois jours<\/strong> et Matt Walst<\/strong> have far better ability and talent than this, and by the end of it all, it’s easy to feel that this isn\u2019t a creative endeavor, but instead just an exercise in complacency and frustration.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every anger-induced, angst-ridden kid from the early 2000s remembers blasting MTV\u2019s greatest rock music videos. Probably through cheap stereo subwoofers … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":10734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1563],"class_list":["post-10730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","tag-three-days-grace","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}