Three Days Grace Pilots a Stellar Ride to Venus

You know what parents say about their kids, namely that they seem to grow up so fast. Same words could be said after listening to Three Days Grace's new album "Transit of Venus". These Canadian hard rockers are in fact the same dudes who brought singles like "Pain" and "Never Too Late" to the wider world. Those songs clamped on to your throat but didn't completely seize the upper hand. On this new effort the boys have sprouted attitude with a tremendous bite to it. There's not a bad track in this batch. "Chalk Outline" gives you the razor's edge jagged menace that great hard rock music can be measured by. Adam Gontier approached the recording session as if he was determined to leave drops of blood dripping from his apoplectic fangs. Mission accomplished. This man is not shy about exposing his inner battle scars. Nor will he shy away from dismissing toxic influences from his world such as the female depicted in "Operate". You know the type. She wants you only because of what she thinks she's going to get out of you. Though the booze as healing salve image isn't a rarity in the inebriated history of metal, "Happiness" adds a devilishly wicked spin. Plus the notion of draining happiness straight from the bottle when reality isn't so palatable is an idea folks who are either in hard rock bands or folks aspiring to join the ranks can sympathize with. Barry Stock pulverizes eardrums with his otherworldly guitar attack. Neil Sanderson shakes off any restraint he ever possessed in the capacity of drum lord. Whatever drugs he was on at the time I suggest he maintain the dosage. His precision on this set is nothing sort of astounding. Nice he's one of those drummers who fully realizes the potency he can cull from his instrument. Michael Jackson would be proud of the tough as nails renovation job his "Give In To Me" receives. As a bonus the band shows it knows its way around a compelling story song. "Expectations" erects an unsettling big city tale of an innocent sixteen year-old searching for silver screen fortune only to find out innocent sixteen year-olds don't tend to fare too well in that environment. The nausea-inducing (in the most flattering rock way) chord shifts peel back the curtain without sparing either expense or detail. Just one impressive change up the guys offer on this trip to the musical mound. Not only do they offer a jaw dropping ensemble of pitches, they knock it out of the park too. If they weren't treated that way before, Three Days Grace can now be considered a meaty rock outfit that fully deserves to be taken seriously. They got the memo that you've gotta leave the testosterone aggression out there on full display. If this album doesn't send at least one chamber of your heart pounding like crazy than you, sir, are a metal lightweight.