1) Three Days Grace (2003)
2) One - X (2006)
3) Life Starts Now (2009)
Three Days Grace
Released July 22, 2003, Length 44:00 Label Jive
1.Burn
2.Just Like You
2.Just Like You
3.I Hate Everything About You
4.Home
5.Scared
6.Let You Down
7.Now or Never
8.Born Like This
9.Drown
10.Wake Up
11.Take Me Under
12.Overrated
Band Name and Background
One-X is the sophmore album from Canadian rock band, Three Days Grace. The album was released on June 13, 2006. They worked with producer Howard Benson for the album, this decision proved to be a great move for the band, as the album was both a critical and financial success.
Previews for four of the tracks on One-X were able to be found on Three Days Grace's Online Trading Cards. Tracks that could be previewed were "It's All Over", "Pain", "Never Too Late" and "Over and Over".
Album art
Sales
Accolades
Life Starts Now is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. The album was released on September 22, 2009. The album was produced by Howard Benson. This is the second time in a row the band has worked with him, after the commercially successful One-X. Life Starts Now expresses a lighter lyrical mood compared to the bands previous album.
Originally, the band was named Groundswell, but the band members didn't think the name suited them correctly. Three Days Grace was eventually picked as the bands' new name. After releasing their demo, Three Days Grace was immediately recognized by many record labels, largely due to the song, I Hate Everything About You. Eventually, Three Days Grace signed a record deal with Jive, and began recording their debut album in Massachusetts. Just 9 days before the release of their debut album, they released the immediate hit song, I Hate Everything About You, in promotion for the album.
Reception
The album was met with positive reviews from most music critics. Heather Phares of Allmusic gave the album a positive review, saying, "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." In another positive review, Sputnikmusic said, "this is a very good debut CD from this band, there are very few flaws, and the music is all very good and it's great to listen to. Looking ahead, I see only good things for this band...although, with only one CD under their belts, it's too early to tell." Dave Doray of IGN gave another positive review, saying, "almost every single song from the Three Days Grace track list is heavy and catchy, with chewy chunks of assurance and fury thrown in for added measure."
Accolades
The album has been certified double platinum in Canada, and platinum in the US.
One-X
Released June 13, 2006, Length 43:40, Label Jive
1.It's All Over 4:09
2.Pain 3:23
3.Animal I Have Become 3:51
4.Never Too Late 3:29
5.On My Own 3:06
6.Riot 3:28
7.Get Out Alive 4:22
8.Let It Die 3:09
9.Over and Over 3:12
10.Time of Dying 3:08
11.Gone Forever 3:41
12.One-X 4:46
Pre-release
Before One-X was released the band previewed some numbers from the upcoming album on several occasions. They played four of the new songs, including "Animal I Have Become" and "Never Too Late", at the H.O.P.E. Volleyball SummerFest in Ottawa in July 2005. "Animal I Have Become" was released as a single and received substantial airplay before it was released with One-X.
Previews for four of the tracks on One-X were able to be found on Three Days Grace's Online Trading Cards. Tracks that could be previewed were "It's All Over", "Pain", "Never Too Late" and "Over and Over".
The cover depicts a string of connected paper dolls with checkmarks on all except one of the figures, in which this represents the album's title. On the inside, the CD tray shows all red fish, except one black fish. This same image is also on the "Animal I Have Become" single cover. The lyrics are included in the album booklet.
The album deputed at number 2 on the Canadian album's chart. The album also entered the Billboard 200 albums chart at #5 with first week sales of more than 78,000 copies. So far, the album has gone to sell over 1,625,000 copies in the US alone.
ReceptionOne-X was met with mostly positive reviews. The Toronto Star complimented the album with a review title of "One CD worth buying..." and focused on its lyrics, saying, "The lyrics really speak out to you, especially if you're going through a tough time in your life." Allmusic reviewer Corey Apar praised the music, saying it "remains catchy despite its lyrical darkness". Ultimate Guitar gave a largely positive review of the album, and also praised Gontier's vocals, saying, "Gontier’s strong vocal performance could explain why the band has garnered the success they’ve had. When you hear an infectious vocal, you might have a powerful urge to sing along."
In 2007, One-X earned the band an award for Rock Artist of The Year by Billboard Magazine. They won a Media Base award for most played rock song on the radio in Canada, for their single, Animal I Have Become. One-X has been certified double platinum in Canada, and platinum in the US.
Life Starts Now
Released September 22, 2009, Length 43:25 Label Jive/Zomba
1.Bitter Taste
2.Break
3.World So Cold
4.Lost in You
5.The Good Life
6.No More
7.Last to Know
8.Someone Who Cares
9.Bully
10.Without You
11.Goin' Down
12.Life Starts Now
Background and production
After being on the road for five years with Three Days Grace, bassist Brad Walst stated, "We all came home and got a hard dose of life," which the band then used to create a more "musically in-depth and personal album". He describesLife Starts Now as a record about "confronting life and how fragile it can be".
Pre-production for Life Starts Now began in January 2009 while the band began recording the music in Vancouver in March. The album was completed in August of the same year. After finalizing all aspects of the album, they officially announced that the album would be released on September 22, 2009.
SalesThe album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 79,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week, thus becoming the band's highest charting album to date. The album also debuted on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart at number two, along with "Break" which peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Rock Songs chart and "The Good Life" at number 52 on the Canadian Hot 100 and number 1 on Billboard Rock Songs chart. With the exception of Lost In You, all of the bands singles from the album have topped the Billboard (magazine) rock song charts.
Reception
Upon its release Life Starts Now has received generally mixed to average reviews from most music critics. According to Allmusic reviewer James Christopher Monger, who gave the album three out of five stars, "Life Starts Now continues the theme of One-X, Gontier's personal demons, but with a hint of sunlight." He compliments the album, saying it "treats the well-worn metal themes of anger, isolation, heartache, and redemption with the kind of begrudging respect they deserve, pumping out a competent flurry of fist-bump anthems and world-weary, mid-tempo rockers."Sputnikmusic gave the album a mixed review, saying, "It's not going to change rock music or win any awards, but it's worth a listen. But if you were expecting something great or new, then prepare to be disappointed." Ultimate Guitar gave the album one of it's more positive reviews, saying, "Life Starts Now still contains the catchy choruses and powerful riffs Three Days Grace has been known for, while it may be cliched. But the band members have undoubtedly evolved as musicians, pretty much entirely for the better. Life Starts Now is a very still enjoyable experience for old fans, but it gives what their past two albums left to be desired: a sturdy musical base"
Life Starts Now was also met with some negative reviews. 411mania did give the album a 6 out of 10, but the written review was more negative, having this to say about the album, "Boring, bland, trite, tired, tried, and true are all words that I would use to describe Life Starts Now, the latest from Three Days Grace. This album is victim of lazy lyrics and uninspired riffs that have been repackaged to be resold again. If you're a fan of their first two albums, this will fit nicely into your collection, despite being of lesser quality. I'd avoid it, except for a few tracks." Another more negative review came from About.com reviewer Tim Grierson, who said, "The problem isn’t that Life Starts Now doesn’t have good songs – the problem is that there aren’t enough of them and that even the strongest moments feel overly familiar. Frontman Adam Gontier continues to expose his tortured soul, but without consistently gripping tunes to back up his anguish, Three Days Grace seem stuck in their misery rather than transcending it."
AccoladesThe album has been nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2010 Juno awards. The album has been officially certified Platinum in Canada. It also was certified Gold in the US on March 1, 2011.
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