Giving the bird to the major labels…
Story Of The Year have
been through a lot. From mainstream darlings to major label discards
the band has been on the receiving end of the best and the worst that
the music industry has to offer. After the breakout success of their John Feldman produced debut, SOTY found themselves label-less
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after their sophomore record In The Wake Of Determination only
(and I use the term loosely) sold a few hundred thousand copies.
Well, if ever a record was a big
fuck you to the detractors then The BlackSwan is that
record. Taking the pop sensibilities of their debut and successfully
merging them with the metal inspired guitar work of their more recent
material, Story Of The Year have written that all important third
album which should keep their existing crowd on board as well as winning
over a host of new fans.
The crunch of the album’s first
track “Choose Your Fate” should serve as a warning to anyone expecting
a collection of radio friendly hits. As always the guitar interplay
is top notch and the transition from grooving metal to balls out punk
is seamless. Without missing a beat SOTY kick into one of their
trademark anthems, the chorus of “Wake Up” being on par with anything
the band has released previously.
“The Antidote” is an obvious
choice for a shot at being a single as Dan Marsala’s hook laden
vocals combine perfectly with the arena sized guitar riffs that Ryan
and Philip (SOTY axe men) so effortlessly put out there… and
the odd guitar solo doesn’t go astray either. “Tell Me” is reminiscent
of After The Eulogy era Boysetsfire (which is a good thing) with it’s bouncy guitar parts that should
have dance floors across the world buckling under a crowd’s heaving
weight.
A hell of a lot of bands have
tried to merge screamed vocals and metallic guitars with quiet vocal
passages over the last few years, but very few have had the same success
as Story Of The Year, “Angel In The Swamp” being a prime example
of the aforementioned description. Seriously, who else can piece together
a banging guitar riff with an introspective verse that slips back into
a punk beat? While being vastly different songs sonically, “The Black
Swan” and “Message To The World” both have one thing in common…
fucking huge choruses! “Apathy Is A Deathwish” is indicative of
the fact that the SOTY six stringers spend a lot of time listening
to Pantera while “We’re Not Gonna Make It” has sing-a-long
written all over it.
to “Terrified” and the interlude “Pale Blue Dot” however the
riffing of “Cannonball” and the creative arrangements of “Welcome
To Our New World” manage to keep the record afloat, not to mention
how surprisingly awesome the Australian bonus track “Never Let It
Go” is.
Story Of The Year seems to attract fans from all over the musical spectrum… and rightfully
so. There’s something on offer here for everyone so get the record and learn the words in time for their upcoming Australian tour.