"Transit" infuses new and old sound

Three Days Grace’s new album, “Transit of Venus,” sees the band at its best in years. The group members are committed and push their abilities to the limit.  You can just feel the energy coming off most of the tracks.  The album is particularly interesting because it’s a great mix of old and new. The album has both classic Three Days Grace sound and the new direction that the band is taking. 

My favorite song from this album, “Chalk Outline,” is a good example of this mix, combining both older and newer elements of the band’s sound.  It plays like some of their older tracks, specifically from their self-titled album, but lead vocalist Adam Gontier clearly showcases more of a vocal range than usual here, creating a great new track.  

The songs “Give in to Me” and “Operate” are two more examples of Gontier’s fantastic vocal range.  Both are great tracks, although Gontier’s performance on “Give in to Me” might be the strongest in the entire album.  This is an energetic song even for Three Days Grace, which is really saying something.  “Operate” is noteworthy for its return to the band’s 2006 album, “One-X,” in terms of sound.  In particular, it is very similar to my favorite track from that album, “Time of Dying.” In both cases, lead guitarist Barry Stock shows off some excellent guitar playing.

“Anonymous” is where the entire band really comes together as a whole to create a great sound.   This song has a nice mix of acoustic and hard rock, and is yet another piece where Gontier really stretches his voice.  Great backing from all members and harmonies help to round out the performance.  You can really hear bassist Brad Walst putting his heart into this one.  Most of the time the rest of the band tends to drown him out, but you can hear him perform a great bassline throughout the track. 

“Expectations” is an interesting example of Three Days Grace’s newer sound.  “Expectations” combines the band’s traditionally heavy guitar-based sound with piano throughout, creating something new.  The band really took a risk on this song, and I believe it paid off.  I honestly hope that the band creates more songs like this in the future.  

  If Three Days Grace is not at their best for “Transit of Venus,” they are very close to it.  It is good to see that the band hasn’t gotten rusty in the two-plus years since their last album, “Life Starts Now.”  While all members of the band are at top form in this work, the guitar and vocals throughout the album are both simply phenomenal.  “Transit of Venus” is a great addition to any hard-rock library and a must-have for fans of Three Days Grace.