I still remember where I was when I heard Story of the Year’s debut single, “Until the Day I Die.” The song thrust the St. Louis band onto the screamo/post-hardcore scene, competing with the likes of The Used and Taking Back Sunday. Their debut (Page Avenue) was the most successful, with three charting songs: “Until the Day I Die” (12), “Anthem of our Dying Day” (10) and “Sidewalks” (40). They definitely hit their sophomore slump with In The Wake of Determination, with only their first single (“We Don’t Care Anymore“) charting at 28.
Their third release (The Black Swan) didn’t chart at all but Story of the Year aren’t giving up and they’re proving it with their latest release, The Constant.
Giving the album an interesting start, “The Children Sing” kicks off The Constant with a children’s choir. But continue listening and it’s obvious that Story of the Year have not given up their hard guitars and metal-ly licks. Lead singer Dan Marsala’s voice fuses with the childrens’, giving the chorus an interesting sound and the breakdown in the bridge is heavy with guitar effects and a wailing solo. It’s as though the band is eager to prove that they’re still serious about face-kicking sound and “The Children Sing” definitely gets that message across.
A slow, echoing guitar melody starts off the album’s first single, “I’m Alive.” The song is not as ass-kicking as many of the others on the album and I don’t know what I think about that. Perhaps an attempt to draw a different audience in since their popularity seems to have dwindled some with the post-hardcore crowd? It’s a possibility! Compared to the other tracks on The Constant, “I’m Alive” is very weak in my opinion.
Now “To The Burial” is a different story! This track starts off with gang vocals and screaming, which is what Story of the Year is more known for. This song was released before “I’m Alive” but it wasn’t made an official single. Maybe the response wasn’t there and that’s why the single is what it is? I don’t know, but this song kicks ass. It starts with a slow metal tempo but then the pace speeds up and actually has some punk traits in there as well. That’s more like it! Marsala’s slow harmonizing vocals during the chorus and near screaming during the verses give this song a kick-ass sound that I’m totally into.
The Constant takes a weird turn in “Remember A Time,” which oddly enough, sounds like Weezer opens the song. Another slow number, “Remember A Time” has a slow, kazoo-esque guitar melody that’s out of place with this band. You can’t blame Story of the Year for trying something new though, right? This song is definitely a miss and makes me wonder where the band is trying to go.
All in all, I’m confused by Story of the Year’s latest release. I feel like they’re trying too many different things to get all the audience they can get after their dwindling success. I still want to root for them (if only for their incredibly energetic and acrobatic live performances exhibited here and here) but after Page Avenue, I find myself unimpressed with every other album they’ve released. I hope they find what they’re looking for with the release of The Constant, but I honestly think that their decline in popularity is going to continue on that slide. The album shows some potential with “To The Burial”, “Won Threw Ate” and “Ten Years Down” but unfortunately, it’s not enough to save them.
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Here are some other pages on EnterTheShell.com that you may be into:
- A Look Back at the Shell – 2010 Year in Review
- Album Review – No Mercy by T.I.
- Sunday’s Blessings – God Bless the Generation Gap
- Album Review – Distant Relatives by Nas & Damien Marley
- The Enter The Shell Show – Paper City Live at Clancy’s