Official press release:
Three Days Grace, the internationally acclaimed and multi-platinum certified Canadian band with over a billion streams on Spotify, will release their new album, Outsider, on 9th March via Music For Nations. Outsider is the sixth full-length album from the band, and is their latest since 2015’s US chart-topping album Human. Bass player Brad Walst says:
“To me, Outsider represents the journey to find your place. The world feels crazy at times. We try to get away from that every once in a while. We do our own thing, and we’re comfortable doing it. We have always looked forward—and not backwards. That’s an ongoing theme.”
Pre-order Outsider on all formats here.
Three Days Grace debut their new music video for “The Mountain” via Vevo. Taped at a UFC octagon, the music video for Outsider’s first single was directed by Sean Cartwright, and features a cameo by UFC fighter Misha Cirkunov.
Forging a new path forward is exactly what the musicians did in the Autumn of 2016. Instead of congregating in a downtown Toronto rehearsal space, the band which consists of Matt Walst [lead vocals], Barry Stock [lead guitar], Brad Walst [bass], and Neil Sanderson [drums, percussion, keyboards, programming], initially wrote in a converted garage behind Brad’s house located two hours from the city. Neil says:
“This is all about taking a step back from life’s madness without destroying yourself, cutting everyone off, or going crazy. You get a break and find the space to create.”
Eventually, the band retreated to Neil’s 90-acre farm to further hone ideas, and often sat around bonfires with acoustic guitars, tapping into the wild spirit surrounding them. As the songs took shape, the band headed to Ontario’s remote Jukasa Studios, and called upon longtime friends and collaborators including producers Gavin Brown and Howard Benso, engineer Mike Plotnikoff and Chris Lord-Alge on mixing duties, for an album that speaks directly to their army of fans from around the globe. Neil adds:
“That production team hasn’t happened since One-X. We were lucky to get this group together. It made sense because we were in a similar headspace.”
As much as it upholds tradition, Outsider represents progression for Three Days Grace. Marking his second offering as part of the band, vocalist Matt showed “a new level of confidence and brought a ton of ideas” according to his brother Brad. Meanwhile, Neil expanded the signature electronic palette, integrating analog synths and standout programming with the help of Rhys Fulber (Fear Factory, Frontline Assembly). He casually nodded to electronic influences as diverse as Nine Inch Nails, White Zombie, Bring Me The Horizon, Lana Del Rey, and a surprising cult classic, the movie Lost Boys. First single “The Mountain” evinces that evolution. Those cinematic sonic flourishes augment arena-ready riffs before summiting towards a seismic refrain, “I’m still surviving, keep climbing, keep climbing the mountain.”
Given this undeniable unpredictability, Outsider feels right at home alongside a catalog of fan favourites from Three Days Grace. Since 2003, the band has staked a spot amongst the hard rock vanguard, breaking records, toppling charts, moving millions of units worldwide, and making history by holding the all-time record for “most #1 singles at Active US Rock Radio ever” with 13. In 2015, Human marked the group’s second straight #1 slot on the US Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums Chart as well as their fourth consecutive debut in Top 20 of the Top 200. It spawned two #1 singles, “Painkiller” and “I Am Machine”, signalling their 13th overall and 5th consecutive number ones on the Active Rock Radio chart. Moreover, the four-piece consistently averaged a staggering 3.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify — remaining one of the most listened to rock bands in the world. In 2012, Transit Of Venus soared to the Top 5 of the Top 200 and garnered a nod for Best Rock Album of the Year at the Juno Awards. The seminal One-X (2006) notched an RIAA triple-platinum certification as Three Days Grace (2003) was minted platinum and Life Starts Now went gold. To date, their veritable arsenal of number one includes “Chalk Outline”, “The High Road”, “Misery Loves My Company”, “World So Cold”, “Good Life”, “Break”, “Never Too Late”, “Animal I Have Become”, “Pain”, “Just Like You” and “Home”.
