September spells ROCK! part one

Ok, so over the past week or so two great albums have been released.  The first we'll talk about, "Life Starts Now" by Three Days Grace, was released on September 22nd (also my mom's birthday).  This is the first album that was completely written after lead singer Adam Gontier left rehab and it shows.  Three Days Grace's previous albums have had a dark and angry feel to them, from the music to the lyrics.  No doubt Gontier's depression and alcahol and drug use led to the dark themes.  The band not only showed growth in their second album, "One-X" but you could tell that Gontier's song writing had taken on a much different feel.

With the release of "Life Starts Now", you can see that Gontier's ghosts seem to be behind him.  You can see the self-proclamations in lyrics from "Bitter Taste":

So long, so long
I have erased you
So long, so long
I’ve wanted to waste you
So long, so long
I have erased you
I have escaped
The bitter taste of you


Some songs seem to be grieving Gontier's past, as in "World So Cold":

Livin’ in a world so cold
Wasting away
Livin’ in a shell with no soul
Since you’ve gone away
Livin’ in a world so cold
Counting the days
Since you’ve gone away
You’ve gone away from me

And then there's the melodious, piano driven, redemption song "Last to Know."  It begins with Gontier lamenting:

She just walked away
Why didn't she tell me
And where do I go tonight
This isn't happening to me
You were the first to say
That we were not okay
You were the first to lie
When we were not alright
This was my first love
She was the first to go
And when she left me for you
I was the last to know

My first impressions when listening to this song were "Well, here we go again.  Another dark, depressing Three Days Grace song."  But then the second chorus arrived and I realized how far they've come:

I'll be the first to say
That now I'm okay
And for the first time
I've opened up my eyes
This was my worst love
You'll be the first to go
And when she leaves you for dead
You'll be the last to know

So if you're looking for a refreshing change of pace, pick up "Life Starts Now" by Three Days Grace.  Trust me.

BW