 : TRACK BY TRACK : STORY OF THE YEAR
Posted byBomber on Sunday, March 30 @ 15:14:51 CDT
Contributed by Bomber
They've just announced their much anticipated tour, so next thing for Story Of The Year to do is unleash their new album 'The Black Swan'. They will do just that on April 19th on Epitaph / Shock, and we're here to tell you all about it, track by track. Read More to check out what you can expect when it hits!
TRACKLISTING
1. Choose Your Fate
2. Wake Up
3. The Antidote
4. Tell Me (P.A.C)
5. Angel In The Swamp
6. The Black Swan
7. Message To The World
8. Apathy Is A Dead Wish
9. We're Not Gonna Make It
10. Cannonball
11. Terrified
12. Pale Blue Dot (Interlude)
13. Welcome To Our New War
INSTORES APRIL 19TH
EPITAPH | SHOCK
"Choose Your Fate" hits you like a slap in the face, an aggressive track, part sing, part scream (the good variety of scream, none of this dying cat shit). a good powerful way to start the album showing they can mix the heavy stuff with the catchy melodic parts too.
"Wake Up" is the first single made available from the album, it is a very good indication of where the band is at right now, energetic, melodic and rockin'. Strong in backup vocals and solid delivery, this one is bound to be huge in the live setting, sing-a-longs will be aplenty.
"The Antidote" is catchier than the flu, the chorus will inject itself in your mind instantly, "all we need is a reason, all we need is right here inside us all". A huge melodic rock song with definite potential to become a future single, sweet little guitar solo going on too.
"Tell Me (P.A.C)" is introduced with marching band style drums before the wall of guitar inflicts itself. Another rockin' song packed with melody and a well constructed chorus, the production stands out on this one, the sounds are huge and used really well, this is the kinda song Linkin Park are probably wishing they'd came up with rather than writing the same songs over and over again.
"Angel In The Swamp" starts off slowly, giving the impression we might be in for a bit of a ballad, but nope, drums kick in and we've got a punk beat going on before slipping back into the slower mode for a little bit more, before a big ending. A solid track that jumps around a lot. A bit like the band on stage, you can just visualize them, and the crowd going off for this one.
"The Black Swan" has a familiar vibe to it, go back a couple of albums and this track could've slotted in with any of the bands tracks back then, again a great balance of power and melody, the song builds up well to a nice big ending.
"Message To The World" is the song you knew was about to come, things are slowed down, there's a lot less jumping around sound wise, the pace is consistent and their ability to construct and instantly appealing chorus really stands out "when you kill me, please do it slowly, send a message to the world" sticks like glue. This one will be a favourite for many, chances are this one will be a single.
"Apathy Is A Dead Wish" rides along at a nice pace on the back of a sweet guitar riff, the kind you heard a lot when nu-metal was thriving, another track without much chopping and changing, pace wise, just building up slightly for the chorus. A cool track, nothing too amazing, but a few notches up from being classed as filler.
"We're Not Gonna Make It" is a no-frills rock song, catchy all the way through, one you can bop along to and they stick to a simple formula throughout, very solid, as with most songs on here, the chorus is solid and memorable. Sometimes the simpler things are the best, while this isn't the best song on offer, it's better than most would come up with.
"Cannonball" well the name tells you a lot about this song, when it's called Cannonball, you know not to expect some kind of ballad, you are going to get something that will impact hard. And the song lives up to it's title. Once again, the main foundation is a big slab of rock, with some nice guitar work and infectious vocals. Another track that just oozes potential single.
"Terrified" is the first sign of the album wrapping up, vocals take centre stage in a slow intro, backed by another marching style drum build up, no explosive wall of guitars to come though, this one is rock ballad through and through. It has third single written all over it, you can picture the video clip already, filmed at a live show, main lights will take a rest while the the cigarette lighters will be out swaying through the air, there will close up cuts to those in the front rows singing along to every word, maybe a few "will you marry me Dan" signs being waved by girls on their boyfriends shoulders and before you know it, that drum beat is back as it all fades away. Great track.
"Pale Blue Dot (Interlude)" isn't a song, but a short reading by Carl Sagan, who was an American astronomer and astrochemist, the 'Pale Blue Dot' referring to the earth, in particular a photograph taken by Voyager 1 from 6.4 billion km's away, where the earth simply was a pale blue dot.
"Welcome To Our New War" closes things up, in the same way the disc opened, a frenzy. A fast paced, heavy track that jumps around between different speeds, has a kick arse chorus, nice guitar lines and overall is well delivered and closes things up quite nicely.
THE VERDICT
"A new lease of life" is what the band describes it as, and they are not far off the mark. This album is set to send Story Of The Year to a whole new level. The album is full of potential singles that will no doubt impact on the mainstream. The good thing is they've found the perfect balance between heavy and catchy. Fans will lap it up, while many more will jump on board.
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