Where does one even begin when talking about a band like Three Days Grace? Taking the world by force since the late 1990s, Three Days Grace has been a highly influential band for years. Who can deny the impact the band's first three albums, Three Days Grace (2003), One-X (2006), and Life Starts Now (2009), had on the music world? There is a whole generation of kids, now more than likely adults, that were raised on songs from these albums. I mean, c'mon, one of the first bass lines I ever learned was from "Animal I Have Become" as I listened to the song over and over again on my iPod walking down the halls in middle school. Closing in on 18 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone, the band has reunited with former vocalist Adam Gontier for a brand new album set to release on the 22nd of August. Yes. I am indeed talking about Alienation.
Right away from the first note of the opening song, "Dominate," you can tell that this album is going to usher in a new era of the band that will continue to propel them to heights not yet reached. One of my personal favorites from the album has still got to be "Mayday," which was released back in November of 2024. Seeing and hearing Gontier reunite with his former bandmates was something I didn't think would ever happen again. Let us not just quickly go past how well Gontier's vocal style complements and pairs with vocalist Matt Walst. You would almost think that the band has always been a dual-fronted project.
With over a dozen hit singles, it is no wonder a song like "Kill Me Fast" is able to join the ranks. With the balance of depressive lyrical content with an almost upbeat tone and rhythm from Barry Stock and Brad Walst on guitar and bass (respectively), as well as Neil Sanderson on drums, the listener can find themself crying their eyes out in the most therapeutic way possible. Sanderson shares how:
“‘Alienation’ is a journey through inner collapse and outward defiance—The songs reflect isolation as a condition of existence, not just circumstance. Some of what we write about - anxiety, addiction, heartbreak, disconnect, are often a different wave of the same storm. And yet, buried in all the wreckage is something human—still reaching out.”
While it is the "norm" to say with a new release, as a fan of the band from their first album, this is 100% the best material Three Days Grace has ever gifted fans. Alienation has the potential to get a whole new generation of fans as inspired as I once was over 20 years ago.
If you are able to, drop everything you're doing to go see Three Days Grace as the band heads out on the road in support of the new album, alongside Breaking Benjamin on select dates. Tickets can be found here.
