HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Three Days Grace – Three Days Grace
Canadian hard rockers THREE DAYS GRACE have successfully paved their way to become one of the most influential and prominent rock bands of the 21st century. Even though 2006’s One-X is considered to be the compilation that ultimately led the group to super stardom, it was their debut self-titled full length album that put THREE DAYS GRACE on the map. Released on July 22, 2003, it was deemed to be their first breakthrough with Jive Records. Even though THREE DAYS GRACE originally formed back in 1997, it definitely wasn’t six years wasted as the reveal of their debut undoubtedly shook up the music industry back in the early 2000s. At the time, the band were a musical trio consisting of Adam Gontier (vocals/guitar), Brad Walst (bass/vocals) and Neil Sanderson (drums/vocals). Due to this, THREE DAYS GRACE became one of the most era defining bands of the 21st century, alongside other fan favourites such as LINKIN PARK, FOO FIGHTERS and KORN.
It is clear this release has stood the test of time, even surpassing its 20 year anniversary in 2023. Conclusively, it was their signature single I Hate Everything About You which helped to catapult THREE DAYS GRACE into the limelight and solidified their position as rock/nu-metal icons in the industry from the beginning. It was this standout track that went on to be certified 2x Platinum in the US and Silver in the UK with over 2.2 million sales combined, which was revealed three months prior to the album’s official release date. Even 20 years later, I Hate Everything About You hits you right in the feels every time you hear it, becoming even more impactful in a live setting. The lyrics are timelessly relatable to any THREE DAYS GRACE fan old or new, with all of us undeniably experiencing a toxic relationship at some point in our personal lives.
Nonetheless, it’s important to not discredit other focal points featured on this poignant release. Wake Up, Home, and Just Like You are also considered front-runners, with Take Me Under being a fearlessly underrated number amongst the track list. The latter instantly transports us back to a time when life could be seen as being simpler and less complicated, but this track suggests otherwise with its suspiciously somber lyrical content. “Push me under / pull me further / take me all the way,” Gontier pleads in the monumental chorus hook. The nu-metal/grunge inspired guitar melodies make the track even more sensational and somewhat sentimental to any 90s kid growing up listening to this absolute masterpiece.
As with every LP, there are always low points and THREE DAYS GRACE‘s self-titled effort is no different. The 12th and final track Overrated most definitely lives up to the title in every way possible. Even though the key fundamentals are well and truly there in terms of a passionate and progressive nu-metal melody, the chorus leaves not much to be desired. The eighth single Born Like This is slightly better, providing us with all the grit and angst that we would come to expect from THREE DAYS GRACE at this point in the album. Unfortunately, the chorus ends up falling a little flat in comparison; consequently leaving us feeling deflated and unfulfilled.
Despite this, it is conspicuous that this compilation was the band’s form of therapy at the time of writing and recording. As explained by THREE DAYS GRACE‘s drummer Neil Sanderson, the background of the material written 20 years ago originates from the “crazy things” that the band had witnessed during their evidently convoluted upbringings. Furthermore, lead vocalist at the time Adam Gontier expressed that he “doesn’t find it easy to write about happy shit. You don’t need a release when you’re happy.” The Canadian trio incontestably poured their heart and soul into their debut with the recording process taking a total of six months, whereas the writing segment of the album stretched over a course of ten years. Their debut sparked a future long-term collaboration with fellow Canadian Gavin Brown who produced the Three Days Grace album and was one of the main songwriters of key tracks such as I Hate Everything About You, Burn, Just Like You and Scared. This pairing led on to Brown fully producing and writing the entirety of the band’s subsequent fifth studio release Human 12 years later in 2015.
Consequently following the album’s worldwide reveal in July 2003, it was met with mostly positive reviews from music critics at the time. Heather Phares of AllMusic praised the compilation stating that “Although this debut is a little uneven, it’s also promising. THREE DAYS GRACE are definitely one of the most accessible alt-metal bands of the 2000s, they just need to add some more distinctiveness to their sound,” commending the band’s songwriting talents on tracks such as Just Like You, Scared and Born Like This. In contrast, Spin didn’t necessarily sing the album’s praises, summing up the release as being “generic Canadian gripe rock.”
Since the release of their eponymous effort, the band have gone on to release a further six albums with the most recent being 2022’s effort Explosions. Even though their 2003 debut may not be considered to be their most polished body of work in their career to date (can that really be expected with an initial release?), it is still contemplated 20 years later as being THREE DAYS GRACE‘s most influential releases. Whilst it may be a body of work that seems a bit haphazard at times, this release ultimately features some of the Canadian hard rock band’s most memorable hits, not shy of I Hate Everything About You, Wake Up and Take Me Under. Yes, the release may be dotted with slight disappointments, but there is no doubt that the highlights triumph the rest. If you are keen to experience some early 2000s nu-metal nostalgia, this album may be just the missing piece of your musical puzzle.
Three Days Grace was originally released on July 22 2003 via Jive Records.
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