People always say: “Oh, you must see them live.” With Three Days Grace, it’s the truth. That night was euphoric – the sort of night where a band matters as much to its fans as the fans matter to the band. Watching them, I said: “The sort of band for whom this matters, Three Days Grace are the standard bearers for modern North American hard rock.”
“Dominate” is the whole of TDG in three minutes. Huge grooves, but lyrics that drip with emotion – and that innate class that only the best seem to have. “Apologies” gets close to rock bottom, but never quite falls through the floor.
When they hit the sweet spot, they’re as good as anyone. “Mayday” is both a cry for help and brilliantly hook-filled, with its unforgettable line: “We walk like dead people who haven’t died yet.” “Kill Me Fast” might be a ballad, but Hallmark aren’t about to borrow the lyrics for a greetings card: “If you’re planning to leave then don’t give me any hope you’re ever coming back.”
Whatever they do, Three Days Grace do it brilliantly. “In Waves” is a fine example of their range, but you can’t ignore the way their grooves soar – the title track has one of their best. There’s also plenty of light and shade here. The way “Never Ordinary” builds is sensational, while “Deathwish” (contrary to its title) is more of a hymn to hedonism.
“Don’t Wanna Go Home Tonight” brings in the acoustics for a reflective moment, which only makes “In Cold Blood” slam even harder when it arrives. “The Power” is all about “taking back the power,” and that’s what this record feels like too – a band reclaiming what is theirs.
And don’t underestimate how heavy this gets either. “Another Relapse” is as relentless as its name suggests.
Drummer Neil Sanderson summed it up perfectly: “‘Alienation’ is a journey through inner collapse and outward defiance—The songs reflect isolation as a condition of existence, not just circumstance. Some of what we write about – anxiety, addiction, heartbreak, disconnect, are often a different wave of the same storm. And yet, buried in all the wreckage is something human—still reaching out.”
Three Days Grace have always been a band that speak directly to the people who need them most, and “Alienation” proves they’re still doing that better than almost anyone. Heavy when it needs to be, vulnerable when it has to be, and packed with hooks throughout, this is a record that shows a band utterly at ease with who they are – and still pushing themselves forward.
Rating: 8.5/10
