Review - One-X

Artist: Three Days Grace
Album: One-X
Record Label: Jive
Producer(s): Howard Benson
Release Date: June 13th, 2006
Genre: Hard Rock
Strong Points: Every song is catchy and memorable
Weak Points: Overall sound, though solid, tends to lack inspiration
Technical Score: A-
Artistic Score: B
Final Score (not an average): B+
Moral Warnings: The lyrics are generally depressing in subject matter and can come across as hopeless; at face value, there are some allusions to alcohol, drugs, masochism, suicide, and acting in anger; f-word used once on two different tracks, "p---ed" is used once on one track


From a small town in Canada, Three Days Grace has hailed forth as a popular name in the nu-metal and modern hard rock circles since its self-titled release in 2003. With a driven sound and angst-filled lyrics, the band has held its own in the genre and has toured with other genre favorites including Breaking Benjamin.

From the platinum selling One-X album are four singles: "Animal I Have Become," "Pain," "Never Too Late," and "Riot" Each of these songs have gotten a bit of play time on mainstream radio, and each of these songs give listeners a good idea of what to expect from the rest of the album.

One-X has a very consistent and focused nu-metal/modern hard rock sound. There is a heavy emphasis on heavy guitars. In spite of most songs being predictable, there is enough diversity in the album to keep things from feeling repetitive. One-X is a very no-frills album. Though polished and well produced, the core songwriting is not buried beneath layers of post-production synthesizers and effects.

The lack of excess producing is to the album's credit. Indeed, every track on the album has memorable vocal lines and guitar riffs. The no-frills approach leaves the emphasis exactly where it should be; the focus stays on the band's solid songwriting. Regardless of where on the spectrum a song lands (be it a ballad or one of the album's hardest songs), Three Days Grace shows a clear understanding of what makes a song great.

Unfortunately, the songwriting rarely comes across as mind-blowing or overwhelmingly original. The songs are rock solid, but many of the tracks come off as formulaic to a discerning ear. This doesn't make the album weak, but there is room for the band to stretch out and try new things.

Just as the songwriting can come off as a bit paint-by-numbers, the overall tone of the band is solid, but not exactly unique. Frontman Adam Gontier's vocals are very fitting for the album, but will not stand out as in a crowd of nu-metal/hard rock artists. The instrumentation is similar in this regards. The instruments are all clear and easy to distinguish, but they don't stand out as exceptional.

Following this trend, the lyrics follow a similar path. The angst-driven nature of the lyrics varies in quality from uninspired to interesting. For example, "Pain" is too blunt and destructive to enjoy on a lyrical front ("Pain, without love/Pain, I can't get enough/Pain, I like it rough/'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all"). In contrast, "Animal I Have Become" is an interesting take on needing help to overcome destructive lifestyle patterns ("Help me believe it's not the real me/Somebody help me tame this animal I have become"). The rest of the lyrics tend to fall somewhere in between these ends of the spectrum with many questions and glimmers of hope.

In regards to the moral qualities of the album, interpretation definitely affects the meaning of the lyrics. At face value, there are a few profanities on the album (two uses of the f-word and one use of "p---ed"). The subject matter is usually dark, dealing often with pain and damaged relationships. "Riot" encourages acting on anger. There are a couple of songs that refer to drinking; one song refers to needles. Many songs seem to show hopelessness. Conversely, other songs show hope in hard times.

In short, One-X is a very solid release in the nu-metal/modern hard rock genre. The songs are memorable and well written. There's room for more originality, but the end result is still enjoyable. At face value, many of the lyrics will be a turn off for some listeners, but the majority of them can be approached from a satirical viewpoint. Your mileage may vary with One-X; fans of the genre that don't mind the lyrics will likely love it, but those that are not fans of the genre already will probably not find reason to change their minds. On the whole, One-X is a solid and enjoyable (even if a bit uninspired) effort by Three Days Grace.

Album highlights:
"Animal I Have Become"
"Never Too Late"
"Riot"
"Time of Dying"

-Kenny Yeager (kenny@revolve21.com)