Album Review: Three Days Grace --Transit of Venus--

(4/6)
Transit Of Venus has Adam Gontier’s signature gravely sexy voice, but it feels a little all over the place. While verity is usually a very good thing, Transit of Venus lacks cohesion and feels a little too experimental and takes a few tracks to gain its momentum.

Lyrically, Transit of Venus is quintessential Three Days Grace; themes of past mistakes, bitter anger, and hope run thoguht out the album. I think Gontier has really found his niche between raw, emotionality and artistic word choice. Honest, pointed words coupled with that voice still bring a certain charmingly rugged feel

The music itself is rough in places. While the guitar work has never been more perfect, I find there is an imprecision in this album's sound. It feels like in it’s experimentation the sound lost its clarity. However, the timing within each track is solid when paired with the vocals. I am hoping they find their balance in the next album

Transit of Venus’ composition is really chaotic; while the closing track echoes the opening track very well the album feels conflicted, rather than varied. It is as though half of the album is the rugged, angry sound we are familiar with and the other is a hopeful, almost peaceful piece.

Overall, I still loved this album, Three Days Grace will always be one of my pet bands, however, this is decidedly not their best work.

Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Music Festival:

Event: Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Music Festival(3/6) I’ve been to several music festivals ranging in size to small local events to one of the world’s largest. Uproar was mediocre. My thoughts on the show may have been colored by my active dislike for the venue. The line up was phenomenal, however, I found the whole thing disorganized and the staff unhelpful.

For example, they alleged that there was a signing. I personally saw no indicators as to the location or any potential time changes. I didn’t even see my usual indicator (a line). I checked both sides of the stage just to be sure. I’m not sure if this is the fault of the horrid venue or the festival organization.

Venue: (2/6)—Honestly, the only reason I end up going to the First Midwest Amphitheater is the talent it brings. I find it a dirty, unorganized, venue with staff that isn’t knowledgeable and often is more likely to stand around looking bored than actually help. They will, however, be very insistent about looking in your purse and patting you down in the poring rain. More than once I walked straight past the people who were supposed to check my ticket. I had mine in my hand, mind you, but once I was past the gates I could have gone anywhere but the pit (which requires a wristband, so I’m not sure how good security was down there) Now, I had the best tickets next to the pit so it didn’t matter. (I may be a seasoned concert go-er, but I’m not about to put myself in the pit for “Riot” or anything Avenged Sevenfold plays. I doubt I’d survive.)

Every time I’ve been to this venue the staff has been unfriendly and useless. They seem to have very little knowledge of the venue and the events therein. Moreover, they don’t seem to care to find out. The concessions are overpriced even by festival standards and the verity of concessions is piss-poor at best.

The sound system is also awful, bass heavy to a fault and constantly distorted.
The there are a few things that keep the venue from completely losing me.
First, it is a permanent venue. There are real bathrooms (not portable ones) and there is a decent covered section and the tickets are often not very expensive. Also this place tends to draw a phenomenal line up, and artists who come to Tinley Park often don’t come to Chicago itself. It also seats more people than the Charter One Pavilion, making it a prime target for rising artists and larger artists who don’t want to play arenas or aren’t quite big enough to fill an arena.

Escape The Fate (3/6): Escape The Fate is a traditional screamo/ heavy metal band with a young sound and some obvious roots in the 80s hair metal sound. Heavy metal is very easy to do badly. While far from terrible this band lacked a certain spark. Even recorded they are just slightly uncoordinated. Not enough to truly bother the listener but enough that it puts them behind the pack from a sound stand point. Lyrically, they are traditional dark metal. When opening for bands like “Bullet for My Valentine” and “Avenged Sevenfold” you need a little more kick than they had. Put forth the effort to produce energy however, they fell short. Overall they were nothing to write home about good or bad. As the first of four acts they were certainly in the right spot. They felt very green and forgettable.

Bullet for My Valentine (4/6): I’d heard their first two albums a few years back and while I enjoyed a few of the songs I largely forgot about them. I liked them enough that I was interested in the show, however, I had low expectations, I admit.

While I would hardly call Bullet For My Valentine brilliant, I’ve always been enamored with their ability to change from melody to screams and back. Musically they too have their roots in 80s metal, but there is clarity to their work that makes them stand out as well as a degree of coordination that is often lacking in scremo especially. In a genre that can easily devolve into noise, Bullet took the effort to make their sound unique and sharp.
Live they also had a primal metal energy that is rare outside of harder metal.

Bullet for My Valentine had that live. The adrenaline was fantastic. On a technical level, they were also very solid, a surprise in their genera. The guitarist was especially on top of his game.

Another thing that made Bullet for My Valentine interesting is that the vocals were split. The lead handled the melodies and the guitarist picked up the grunts and screams. This illustrated their lovely coordination further and let the guitarist and front man play off each other very nicely.

Bullet for My Valentine also showed passion, which was a nice way to start an evening full of it.

Bullet for My Valentine also made the abundance start moving and after Escape the Fate, this was no easy thing. However, from opening cord to ending progression the crowd was on its feet. I think they even got a mosh pit started, which doesn’t happen often with openers.


Three Days Grace (5/6): I didn’t think I could be any more impressed with Three Days Grace than I already was. However, they did something that I haven’t seen in any other band. Most bands that I’ve seen several times lose some of their sparkle, not often enough of it to mater, but the shows get familiar and predictable. Not so with Three Days Grace. Even the parts I’ve seen several times had little pieces of variation that make a show just that much more engaging. I did not think they could top their last show, with its unbridled energy and raw emotion.

I underestimated Adam Gointer. Heavily.

There is a raw honesty that comes forward in their music that is only a glimmer in most other bands’ music. Every band I’ve seen live has songs they’ve written just to put something out there. It is the unfortunate nature of the industry. Most also have at least one song that is straight from the raw nerve. Any fan who’s seen a good live show knows that song, it’s the one that taps into your own heart because it is palpable that every word rings true.

That is everything Three Days Grace has ever created. Their live performances have a powerful charge that rivals no other show I’ve seen in its emotional intensity. I confes that I lose a degree of professionalism when I’m at their shows, something in what he writes taps my own nerves.

And that usual redundancy I talked about? Even the songs that they’ve been performing for their entire career are different each time they perform them.

In addition to having energy and emotion Three Days Grace also have an incredible amount of talent. Their coordination is flawless and seasoned. Are they the most technical band on the planate? No. I think that is one of the things that make them so powerful. They are raw, torn, emotional and utterly wonderful live.

Avenged Sevenfold (4/6): Avenged Sevenfold is another band that I had kicking around my computer for a while. I liked what I’d heard but not enough to actively seek it out. I expected to have my earplugs in and head bob, but not really engage in the show. Then it happened, somewhere during “Beast and the Harlot” the raw, primal energy that metal is known for kicked in. The crowd was alive, and I was on. While they certainly don’t have the emotional content of Three Days Grace, they certainly put on a great show. I don’t think emotional content is the point of their particular flavor of metal; its music to cut loose to, rather than music for catharsis. The general tone of an Avenged Sevenfold show is one of defiant, almost flippant dismissal. Despite this tone, front man M. Shadows engaged the fans often enough to keep them interested but not so often that it became tedious or interrupted the flow of the concert. He was sincere when he needed to be, encouraged the fans when they needed to be encouraged and generally put on a good rock show. However, something happened about half way through the show and I’m still thinking over exactly what caused it. There was a distinct energy lull. Part of it, I’m sure, was the solemnity of “so far away” dedicated to their former drummer who passed on around this time of year two years back.

I’ve never seen a band lose a member and fully recover, while the new drummer is very good, I’d imagine there would always be a hole in the band. However, while I can’t see a talent difference (I’m not very familiar with their older works) I noticed that the songs from the newest album displayed a degree of emotion that others did not. I’m wondering if this is a new turn for the band or if they are simply coming to terms with a friend’s death. Time will tell. I certainly appreciated the emotional elements however; it is not what most people come to an Avenged Sevenfold show for. I can see that affecting their fan base heavily.

I’ve talked a lot about Shadows’ performance but he is far from the most talented of the band. In fact, I’d say he’s the least talented of them. Not that he isn’t talented, he is. However, their guitarist and drummer are both phenomenal. I was particularly impressed with the drummer, given that he is a very recent addition to the band. While I’m confidant that no one will ever replace “The Rev,” I have faith in this his or her new drummer.

On the whole, I was impressed with these people and while their performance will never make my top ten lists, it was certainly good.

Three Days Grace with My Darkest Days.

Venue (Riviera Theater--3/6):
Many venues in Chicago are converted theaters or former ballrooms like the Aragon. The Riviera is a smaller such building; while the capacity isn’t listed on their site I’d estimate it’s close to 2000 people at most. The floor itself looked like it had three tiers, which is rare and very useful for people who are shorter. A faded glory, the ceiling was once ornate and now the paint is pealing and chipping. The fake marble is perhaps the most well maintained part of the paint job. It’s clear that the building was not meant to house a concert as the merch. booth and ticking were burred in a corner. I encountered a curious anomaly when I went for water; the price of water is different once you’re on the floor than when you’re at the outside bar. (1$ inside versus 4$ outside) I didn’t see the bathrooms, but I’d expect nothing pleasant.

The sound system was out of balance, like with many smaller venues, the system was bass heavy, and the vocals were not very clear. Unlike many other smaller venues, there wasn’t much compensation for it. One thing I did enjoy about this venue was the fact that they had a spot explicitly railed off for people in wheel chairs. Not every venue does this and I find it very nice.

The Opener (My Darkest Days--3/6):
I had low expectations for these guys and they were met. This band sounded like someone who would open for the opener for Nickelback. They were fun to listen to but, crude and redundant, overall not worth buying an album from. I could predict most of their lyrics (usually something about “light it up” or something about girls). My Darkest days also weren’t the most precise when it comes to the technical work on the instruments. However, there was potential for them to become a radio band, perhaps something on par with Filter. It was easy to sing along and dance to but I found they were trying a bit to hard. The guitarist had decent amounts of talent and could work the crowd better than the frontman. Overall they were decent, but not great.


The Main Act (Three Days Grace--5/6):
This is the second time I’ve seen Three Days Grace live and they have yet to disappoint. Front-man Adam Gontier may not have a perfect voice, but he brings a level of energy few bands these days put forth. A second performance gave me the opportunity to appreciate the rest of the band, especially after My Darkest Days. Hearing that level of clarity and precision was a treat. Gontier loves his fans and they love him back. He is also fearless, in both his original work and his covers. I hadn’t heard three days grace cover anything before so when Gontier came out with Eminem’s “Lose yourself”-- a song of a clearly different genre from his own-- it was gutsy and he managed to pull it off brilliantly. Especially paired with “Home” the song’s ferocity was amplified wonderfully. He then went on to cover Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” which was pleasantly strange. I’ve commented on Goiter’s incredible stage presence before but even when he wasn’t the focus, I felt my eyes drawn to him. The best part of this energy is that he hasn’t grown arrogant about it. He’s still just Adam, there to do a rock show.

Some of the rest of the band could show off last night too. Drummer, Keyboardist, and backup vocalist Neil Sanderson, put on a several minute long drum machine solo, followed by a several minute long standard drum solo. Both solos were absolutely through the roof. Given how powerful Gontier is I hadn’t truly appreciated their drummer until this show. It was amazing. I’m truly impressed.

I am also impressed with the fact that Gontier still does a lot of the guitar work. Most bands where the lead man is also a guitarist you only really hear the lead man doing guitar work on the albums because of how hard it is to do both at once and still really perform. Gontier did, and did so very well. I appreciate his dedication to both aspects of his craft.

Overall, I continue to find three days grace a dynamic force on stage and in their album work. Gontier hinted that they are working on yet another album and I cannot wait to see what these people do next.

Q101 Jamboree: Story of the Year, Janus, Coheed and cambria, Puddle of Mud, Papa Roach, Seether, Three Days Grace

Sorry for the delay folks, Blogger decided it didn't feel like posting for a bit.

Venue(the First Midwest Bank Amphitheater, Tinley Park, IL):(2.5/5) I personally am not a big fan of large amphitheaters, but they’re a necessary evil sometimes when you need to house 28,000 fans. They aren’t as obnoxious as arenas and centrally help facilitate outdoor events, but they tend to be lesser sound quality and overcrowded even for someone who has tolerated arenas.
The sound system was well balanced for a larger venue, but the microphone quality was simply put sub par. I’d expect this from an arena show, where the venue is not meant for music, but if you’re designed for music the vocals should be clear not distorted. It’s unprofessional.
The festival line up was wonderful but the festival itself was a little below average. There was nothing entertaining outside of the music and the random strippers, who weren’t doing much. For a radio-sponsored festival I expected more than ridiculously over priced food. Luckily, my reason for going was the music.

Audience (3/5): typical festival audience not really active until the headline act showed up. However, for Three Days Grace and Papa Roach, they were on fire.

Now on to the reason the rain, really expensive food, (seriously I’ve paid for 2 people on what it cost me for one) and shoddy mics: the show.

It started off with a bang, and kept going. At festivals there is a distinct difference in the treatment/ set length and often quality of the day acts versus the night acts. I was anticipating sitting through shitty music for a few hours.

What a pleasant surprise.

(Due to the shorter sets and a very long day some of these reviews are shorter and hazier than my usual work.)

Story of the Year-- (3/5)(alternative rock) I admit I was still settling in during this set, so my focus wasn’t perfect. I spent as much time listening to front man’s vocals and watching his own energetic dancing as watching the guitarist run full tilt around the drum set, through the back stage and back out front again. It was hilarious, and wonderful.

The music itself was decent, not quite buy the album worthy but good enough for a day act.

Janus-- (4/5)(alternative rock) Exceptionally unexpected amount of energy and outright force on stage. Curiously, unlike many other bands the energy wasn’t exclusively from front man, the entire band was positively electric. I was blown away to the point that I don’t actually remember the visual elements that well. I do remember my hair standing on end and the guitar work being articulate and impressive.
(Lunch break doing the majority of Saliva’s set)

Coheed and Cambria-- (4/5)(other--see below) As a friend put it front man, Claudio Sanchez, is a tiny robot built to rock. Their music is a combination of progressive rock, metal and alt rock. Sanchez’ vocals are, frankly, insane. Strangely intoned, both in pitch and tenure, his voice draws the listener in and made me stop and take a solid listen, a hard thing to master when I’m as tired as I was. The guitar work was wonderful as well. Sanchez also never held still, he was a ball of energy and preformed outstandingly.

Puddle of Mud --(3/5) Being only a casual listener I spent the bulk of their set thinking, “Oh, that’s them?” Puddle of Mud was decent live, very hard to see at that juncture so it’s hard to comment on the performance itself. From an auditory standpoint they were a solid, often nostalgia-inducing band. Lots of energy from these guys, the audience was finally starting to warm up and get into it. They also knew how to balance the set between the songs that every one knew and the lesser-known songs.

(Dinner break during Hollywood Undead, from what I overheard I didn’t miss much)

Papa Roach--(3/5) I admit I lapsed into a food coma and sleep deprivation induced nap during half of their set so no full review. However, I had very low expectations of them based on the few songs I knew. What an improvement! Still the same things for the most part (Teenage angst filled rap-rock), however, they had very good energy and the crowd was really into their set, especially when they played their old stuff. I’d forgotten how much I secretly liked “Last Resort.” They also played “Dead Cell”, which was a nice hat tip to the older fans.

Seether --(2/5) I have two of their albums (Karma and Effect and Disclaimer II) and they are solid, though they sound the same much of the time and I keep confusing them with Hinder (a better band with a very similar sound). I’ve also seen them live before and they weren’t half bad then.
This set however, was different. Somehow they managed to suck the majority of the energy out of the audience. Half the audience was sitting. After the kind of show Papa roach put on, there shouldn’t be people sitting. The front man also has apparently lost his sense of aesthetic entirely.
And did I mention he actually messed up some of the lyrics? Only slightly mind you, but I noticed. I even sat down and watched the screen. Front man, Shaun Morgan just seemed tired for most of the set and the only songs that had energy were covers (although, I do encourage checking out their rendition of “careless whisper” its a wonderful angry version)

And then the amphitheater exploded.

Three Days Grace --(5/5): Three Days Grace hales from Ontario, Canada, so they aren’t often in the US and I’ve wanted to see fro some time now so there was major anticipation. However, after Seether I wasn’t holding out for a high-energy performance.

Some of the Radio crew came out to talk at us while they adjusted the pyrotechnics due to the wind.

Then they hit the stage.

From opening siren to final note, Three Days Grace was a force on stage. With the often-depressive tone of their music I’d expected some lulls when the inevitable slow numbers came up. The energy never stopped. (At some point before they came out I’d managed to climb onto a seat so I could see all of the stage. Not a task for the faint of heart, or poorly balanced, my shins still haven’t forgiven me) Front man Adam Gointer also never stopped, weather singing or talking to the crowd, Gointer putt of a charisma and energy that you don’t see often. It wasn’t that he was an arrogant front man, or that the rest of the band was sub-par (on the contrary the guitar work was wonderful) far from it. It was that Gointer was a force all on his own. The way he worked the audience was amazing and his encouragement of the audience made for an unreal amount of participation (when the kids in the seats in the second tear are slam dancing, you know you have something powerful indeed) At one point about half way through the show Gointer actually made his way all the way back to the lawn to perform in the crowd. How he came back with his hat intact I’ll never know.

The music itself was a powerhouse of rock and occasional moments of very deliberate stillness timed perfectly with a brilliant light and pyrotechnic. Show that brought the house down.

For a festival show, that was unreal. Seriously, these guys are artists both in performance and in musical talent.