Three Days Grace

Album Review - Transit of Venus

Three Days Grace are not necessarily a heavy metal band, they are more on the alternative rock/hard rock spectrum; However, I have been listening to them since I was young. I grew up listening to their self titled album, Three Days Grace, and their other early album One-X. They released another album back in 2009 called Life Starts Now. When I heard they would be releasing a new album this year I was ecstatic.

The day it came out

Transit of Venus came out on October 2, 2012, and I know this still because I went to best buy that day after class to purchase the album. Excitement surged through my body as I couldn’t wait to break open the package and listen to the album. After my first listen through the album I was extremely disappointed; I only liked two of the songs.

I threw the album aside disappointed in how boring it seemed. I was frustrated that the album lacked heavy songs. I miss songs like “Riot” and “Animal I Have Become” from One-X, “I Hate Everything about You” from their self-titled album, and “Break” from Life Starts Now. Those songs are among their most popular and probably their “heaviest” songs.

After a second and third listen at the album, I started to appreciate the music and lyrics. Listen after listen I have fallen in love with the album. Even though the album is not very heavy at all, the lyrics are beautiful and have really connected me to the lyrics.

My three favorite songs

1) “Chalk Outline” – This has to be my favorite song on the new album. These lyrics really hit me hard when I went through a bad break up a few months ago. Here are some lyrics:

“You left me here like a chalk outline. On the sidewalk waiting for the rain to wash away. You keep coming back to the scene of the crime. But the dead can't speak and there's nothing left to say anyway. All you left behind. Is a chalk outline….I've been cold in the crypt. But not as the cold as the words across your lips. You'll be sorry baby. Some day. When you reach across the bed where my body used to lay.”

This song reminds me of a breakup and then the line “you’ll be sorry one day” really picks me up every time I listen to it.


2) “Expectations” – I really love the message behind this song. Basically it says to throw away and get rid of expectations because they don’t mean anything. The refrain states: “expectations, go to hell!”


3) “Misery Loves my Company” – When I was going through my break up I really got attached to this song, especially this refrain:

“I am not alone, not beaten down just yet. I am not afraid of the voices in my head. And down the darkest road something follows me. I am not alone This misery loves my company.”

I became obsessed with this song and listened to it over and over again until I memorized every line.

Overall, I have learned from this that first impressions aren’t always accurate. We should all learn to give people, things, and even albums, second chances. I never used to give anyone second chances; I am a very cut and dry person. But over the last few years, I have changed my mind about second chances and I have been very surprised at what has come of these second chances.