Three Days Grace Is Back With a Killer Track

Pain and Three Days Grace go together like hand in glove, or so it would appear. Muse on this. In 2006 "Pain" was released as a single from the album "One-X". Such a dazed composition. The first few bars sound like then lead vocalist Adam Gontier had been bashed on the head with a crowbar prior to the recording and we could see the stars, exclamation points, and little tweeting birdies flapping around. If that screw job is what led to his severed artery singing, the cry of the wounded beast, it worked nicely for the Ontario, Canada outfit at that time. I say "then" lead vocalist because damn those winds of change, there is as of 2014 a brand new tonsil flasher who's hopped aboard the ship. Matt Walst, brother of co-charter member Brad, lends slickness to "Painkiller" which compared to Adam's self sadism which contended that too much pain was never enough, looks at the hopeful side of those boo boos we've accumulated somewhere down the line. Although the track doesn't tell whether the extended shoulder to cry on is coming from a friend or a paramour, either one would work fine. By the way, the new album isn't in its completed stages yet so we'll have to quench our Three Days Grace thirst with "Painkiller" which proves itself a delectable swallow. The collective gusto hearkens back to "I Hate Everything About You", another "One-X" track that teetered a bit unsteadily off the spool. Of course any hard rock/metal fan will tell you you've got to be a little cracked at the start to venture forth into this fang bearing genre. Take a real close listen to lead guitarist Barry Stock's efforts there. The clearly rattled chords he plays teem with the battle worn ravages of a man who doesn't just dislike the woman he's taken into his inner circle, he detests her. Love and hate can charge up many a relationship but in this instance the plug's frayed, the socket is dangerously on overload mode. "Painkiller" demonstrates how the 2010s Three Days Grace cleans up really well. Barry gets his full weight behind the guitar, conveying relationship loyalty instead of holding the chainsaw he's going to use to destroy fences. Drummer Neil Sanderson, like Brad Walst, has been with the group since its founding 16 years ago. His relative comfort level bashing skins shines through from his splendidly amplified core. You'd be justified in thinking that unlike the now defunct period where Adam was fronting the band, Neil's beats assume a role of joint ownership in whatever flight of fancy the band is now taking. He and Matt bounce off each other. Matt vows to lessen the devastation of the wounds, and Neil hammers home affirmation of that promise. To me at least it's refreshing to hear the band get their surplus energy wound around renewed strength rather than lying in a ditch somewhere playing the wronged party to the hilt. Bassist Brad sports a steely resolve no one would dare question. On other fronts you know Matt's pouring his heart out for a worthy cause if he's willing to be "the dose you die on". He'll numb you off. He'll be your soothing salve. Better yet he can drive his point in 3 minutes on the snoot. "Pain" was about down for the count defeated resignation. "Painkiller" tells the cosmic rulebook "I'm going to take your script, rip out a few choice pages, and reignite the juice that makes me so damn awesome!" These guys have replaced a limp spark plug with souped up jumper cables. The finished product leads to the highly believable claim that Three Days Grace can bring the electricity needed to treat fans and newbies to a long term power cruise. "Painkiller" is pleasurable on levels too numerous to count.