Isolation is a recurring theme, but this group isn’t generally hopeless or self-destructive. “It’s All Over” notes that drugs and alcohol are not the answer. A man in turmoil wants to overcome rage and rise above the “Animal I’ve Become.” The gritty title track and “Never Too Late” both empathize with individuals caught in a web of despair, urging them to persevere. The latter assures someone feeling suicidal, “It’ll be alright … maybe we’ll turn it all around.”
Although “Riot” assures angry, oppressed fans that they’re not alone, it also uses the f-word and rallies the disenfranchised to revolt. Frontman Adam Gontier feels for someone in “Pain” but, having learned to embrace agony himself, offers to be their salvation. He keeps nursing an unhealthy romantic attraction despite realizing he’s being “dragged down” (“Over and Over”). Dumped by a live-in partner, a man plans to get drunk, fight and have meaningless sex (another f-word) on “Gone Forever.”
With a stylistic growl similar to Nickelback or Staind, Three Days Grace longs for connection and meaning, treating alienation as a curable disease. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Gontier’s frustration sometimes bubbles up in profane and inappropriate ways.
After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.
