Three Days Grace Album: “One - X”

It's been about three years since Three Days Grace last "graced" us with their debut album, an album which went on to spawn several hits such as "Just Like You" and "I Hate Everything About You." Despite it's cliches, it was still a solid album, and a worhty breakthrough. I always figured that on their next album, Three Days Grace would only get better -- and I was right. "One-X" is their second full-length album, and improves on every aspect. From the musicianship to the songwriting and the production, everything here is much more professional, more thought-out and most importantly, just better.

"One-X" is the kind of album a busy band on the road comes up with on their second effort. You've heard it all before, about the lonely road, the faceless people, the alcohol/drug abuse. These bases are most definitely covered here. The lead-off single "Animal I Have Become" -- a song about becoming the victim of your vices -- is the shining example. Despite the dark nature of the album and particular songs like "Pain" and "It's All Over," the album has quite a few bright spots, which the first album was especially lacking. "Time Of Dying" proudly proclaims "I will not die, I will survive" and likewise, softer tracks like "Never Too Late" and "On My Own" reinforce this message. However, my favorite song on the album is the obligatory anthem, "Riot." Built off of an old-school sounding metal riff, I could definitely see this song taking off as the next hit.

All in all, every song is a hit, really. I will definitely go as far as to say that this is better than the first album. "One-X" simply doesn't disappoint. For the fans of the debut, there is plenty of material on here that holds up. For those hoping to see some growth, Three Days Grace surely grow. Without a single weak link, "One-X" is just a perfect second album.

Three Days Grace took their sweet time compiling a blistering sophomore effort, an album that not only meets the standards set by their debut but surpasses them and delivers a solid album than truly proves the weight of a band that has grown musically and lyrically. `One X' is an extremely strong album, one that should keep their fans happy for quite some time.

Starting things off with the in-your-face track `It's All Over', Three Days Grace doesn't waste anytime getting to the brute force that made `I Hate Everything About You' such a blockbuster success. The second track, `Pain', has a very different feel to it, and it took me a while to get into it but the diluted sound to the verses is actually really cool. The first single off the album, `Animal I Have Become', follows in the same vein and delivers a brilliant rock track, and it's probably an even better single than `I Hate Everything About You', it's catchy, it's strong and it's relatable...a true anthem for the youth of today. Another blistering track is `Riot' which makes me just want to scream along "Let's start a riot!" every time I hear this song. The closing track `One X' is one of those tracks that tries to be inspirational with the chanting "we stand above the crowd" and it actually pulls it off quite well. A great way to close out the album.

But heavy anthems and blistering guitar work is not all this band has to offer. Some of the best tracks on this album are stripped down and simpler than that. `Never Too Late' is the first track on the album that capitalizes on the finger picking acoustic sound, and the lyrics about fighting against the impulse of suicide carries a strong message. `Get Out Alive' is one of my favorite songs on this album. The song is about relying in yourself and not leaving your life in others hands. It's a very strong song with a very deep message for those who want to find it. `Over & Over' is another song that I really like, using the strings to give it a unique sound as they sing about another broken relationship. But when it comes to relationship songs, one of the best here is `Gone Forever' which switches from soft and simple to heavy and strong. Great all around track.

So as you can see Three Days Grace has delivered a top of the line album that makes good for the time they spent working on it. We've been waiting three years for them to grace us with their presence again, and it was well worth the wait. It's nice to see a band you like become a band you absolutely love. Great work guys.

Upon hearing of the arrival of TDG's second album "One-X", I must admit I was quite excited with the news. However, it took me a while to get to that stage. Like many, I got to know TDG with such songs as "(I Hate) Everything About you", "Just Like You", and "Home". All very well done songs in the Grunge/Rock world, and quite catchy at that. But how far did this band from Canada really go with their music? Needless to say, this skepticism kept me from purchasing their first and self-titled album for quite some time. But when I broke down and purchased it, I knew I had found a new band to enjoy as much as my other favorites.

Like a lot of bands, TDG started out small, and grew with time. That's especially said since vocals/guitarist Adam Gontier along with band member Brad Walst grew up in a small town of Canada with a population of 1,500. Regardless, their music is anything but a few small-town hits.

To be honest, One-X was not what I thought it'd be the first time I listened to it. After hearing the first single "Animal I Have Become", I figured this would be another album close to their debut; A fairly hard-hitting rock album. Quite the contrary, TDG kept their old style, but added some new sound and maturity to their work.

Certainly, it may take a listen or two to get this album in your mind, but once it does, it just won't leave. Adam's lyrics go a lot deeper than they ever did in their first album, and they'll stick in your head just as deep. Such songs as "Animal I Have Become", "Never Too Late", "Over and Over", and "One-X" will stick in your head for hours after you listen to them, and you'll find yourself listening to this album more and more. And each time, you'll find something new and exciting to enjoy from Three Days Grace.

Truly, I am really impressed with these guys. They have gone from not much to quite a whole lot in a relatively short period of time. I'm loving their music, and I love the fact that they didn't stay the same and actually came together and grew as an even better band.

This is the first album in years that I have bought and enjoyed almost every song. Usually I buy two or three of the songs I like off of an album to save myself some money, but this was a great album. It's powerful lyrics, heavy riffs and overall full sound just blew me away at first listen. I have it in my car, and I haven't taken it out in over a week even when my total drive time is two hours a day. I am so impressed with the way they've matured and haven't sold out at all. A great rock album, one that I keep suggesting to all my friends.

For a second album, these guys didn't go out and write one good track surrounded by the musical equivalent of rat turds! These Canucks got it right! They didn't change their formula too much from the last disc, and that's ok, at least they didn't try to expand their horizons and ruin everything like so many bands do while second guessing themselves on the sophomore record. This album has less standout tracks and more consistency instead. The first album started to have a slight fizzle while the 2nd remains strong throughout. I would definitely buy this album again. This is one of the few good rock albums coming out amongst all the bling-blings, what-what's, and one hit wonders that will last as long as a camera flash and be just as memorable.