Three Days Grace, the internationally acclaimed and multi-platinum certified Canadian band, is releasing their new album, Outsider. Outsider is the sixth full-length album from the band, and is their latest since 2015’s chart-topping album Human. “To me, Outsider represents the journey to find your place,” says bass player Brad Walst. “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.”
Forging a new path forward is exactly what the musicians did in the fall 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. “This is all about taking a step back from life’s madness without destroying yourself, cutting everyone off, or going crazy,” says Neil. “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 the 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. “That production team hasn’t happened since One-X,” adds Neil. “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, 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.”
