IT’S GOT ALL THE DIMENSIONS OF THREE DAYS GRACE
A CONVERSATION WITH BRAD WALST OF THREE DAYS GRACE
Canadian rock legends Three Days Grace have set the standard for hard rock tunes, with their explosively anthemic choruses, thrilling earworm guitar riffs, thunderously captivating drumming, heavy bass tones, uniquely powerful vocals, and relentless energy. Their newest album, Alienation, further proves why they are still one of the best at crafting excellent hard rock. The album also marks the return of original vocalist Adam Gontier. Alienation is an exciting new chapter for Three Days Grace, largely because Gontier and Matt Walst share vocal duties, making it their first album as a two-vocal band.
“It’s cool because they have very different voices, but they are similar in character in how they sing,” states bassist Brad Walst. “Adam’s got a more sultry kind of voice. Matt is a little bit more powerful and has some different stuff going on. It adds a whole nother level, I think. The way their voices blend in harmony, too, is really great and pretty cool.”
Alienation will undoubtedly please longtime fans of Three Days Grace. “Our fans are going to dig it,” says Walst. “It’s got all the dimensions of Three Days Grace; it’s got some ballad stuff and some pretty good heavy stuff. It was cool getting Adam back and just having some really good writing sessions and just having a lot of fun in the studio.”
Working with Zakk Cervini, one of the producers of Alienation, helped Three Days Grace explore some new musical territory. “To have him on board that kind of made us think a little bit more, especially like heavier stuff, like breakdowns and different things we wouldn’t have done, so that’s really cool,” comments Walst. “He’s a master at just dropping off the one beat. There were certain songs like ‘Deathwish’ that do that. A few of them do that, where it just drops into this crazy part. Where we tend to write more of a melodic bridge, he’d be like, ‘No man. Let’s put a crazy riff in here.’ I think a lot of those flavours are definitely from Zakk and they just worked and added something different that we’ve never done.”
The creative process for a Three Days Grace song is a very collaborative effort. “A great thing about our band is we are all kind of a filter in a way, and I think if we’re not all high-fiving, then we really look at it, break it apart, and work on it until everyone’s like ‘This is awesome,’” comments Walst. “We all definitely agree on the lyrics and sit through them. I think that’s kind of what makes Three Days Grace, Three Days Grace. We have these now five guys that we can turn to.”
Walst has many wickedly heavy bass tones and extremely gnarly bass lines in Alienation. “I usually try to sit and wait until the vocals are done unless it’s like a special bass line like ‘Animal I Have Become’ or something crazy where it’s like ‘This will be great,’” he explains. “I try not to overplay on top of the vocals. I think that’s really important. I usually wait until we have a polished demo and then take it home and play with it. I definitely spent some time with the tone, and I think it’s good.”
The acoustic guitar has always played a pivotal role in the sound of Three Days Grace. Some of their most instantly recognizable tracks, like “Gone Forever”, “I Hate Everything About You”, and “Never Too Late” feature some timeless acoustic guitar riffs. Alienation is no different. One example is “Mayday”, which has an instantly catchy headbanging acoustic guitar riff. “We grew up in a small town, and we were always just playing acoustic guitar around the campfire and singing,” shares Walst. “I just think the acoustic has a special place in our hearts. I remember back in the day, Adam and I just going to different parties and playing acoustic guitar around campfires. We always like to bring it in because it’s got a whole nother level and it adds some texture.”
PURCHASE ALIENATION
With the song “In Waves”, Three Days Grace tackle themes of grief and loss. “We definitely have lost some people through our lifetime, so that one is kind of about how you never really lose someone,” reflects Walst. “You always kind of just feel them, even if it’s just their energy – It just kind of reminds you that you’re never really gone even if you’re gone.”
“Don’t Wanna Go Home Tonight” takes things in quite a different direction than the other songs on Alienation. It goes in a softer, acoustic ‘90s alternative rock direction, but manages to be still quite heavy and something that Three Days Grace fans will really enjoy. Guitarist Barry Stock was a main driving force behind the different sound. “I think it was Barry who kind of referenced ‘1979’ by The Smashing Pumpkins, and he was like, ‘What if we make it acoustic but still kind of heavy and got some vibes,’” recalls Walst. “He was definitely a big part in making that vibe. But that’s a special song, I think, because there’s just a lot of nostalgia in that, and I think as we get older, we remember some of the times we had and just how great they were and sometimes miss that. It definitely reflects on that.”
In the title track, Three Days Grace incorporates a kalimba into the song. The original idea for adding the kalimba came from drummer Neil Sanderson. “Neil brought it up one day and was like, ‘Man, I found this thing,’ and he was playing that riff,” recalls Walst. “We were like, ‘Oh, that’s cool.’ Then somehow, we just recorded it – That was just a random thing, but it sounds wicked. It turned out really good.”
One song that Walst really loves from Alienation is “Kill Me Fast”. “That for me still gives me goosebumps when I hear it,” he comments. “There’s something special about that one. It reminds me a little bit of old Three Days Grace. It’s got some of those vibes.”
Alienation ends with the very vulnerable “Another Relapse”. “It’s a pretty dark song,” states Walst. “I think we’ve all been through some crazy times, and I think that song is one we can definitely relate to and something we never want to do. We took that end just because it was the last song and kind of dragged it out. We were going for a Pantera vibe. You know how they fade out with a crazy riff. It turned out really good. That’s one of my favourites.”
If you are looking for a fun, hard-rocking time this fall, be sure to catch Three Days Grace on their co-headline tour with Breaking Benjamin. “They’re great guys and we have a lot of history with them,” comments Walst. “I think we’ve probably done like 300 plus shows with Breaking Benjamin. They’re just so fun, fun dudes and a great band. We seem to have a really good time on tour and have a lot of similar fans. I think it’s just gonna be a good time.”
Alienation drops on August 22nd. “Everyone tends to alienate themselves in some way,” reflects Walst. “As we go on as humans, there are a lot of distractions, and I think we forget that there are people around sometimes, and a lot of people hide, and a lot of people don’t socialize. I do it every day, where I alienate myself a little bit. I think just sometimes you have to remind yourself that it’s a big world out there, and if you need help or anything, it’s out there. You just got to go find it.”
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Photo Credit: Matt Barnes
