Explosions (Three Days Grace album)

Last updated
Explosions
Explosions album cover.jpeg
Studio album by
Three Days Grace
ReleasedMay 6, 2022 (2022-05-06)
RecordedMarch – November 2021
Genre
Length37:51
Label RCA
Producer
Three Days Grace chronology
Outsider
(2018)		Explosions
(2022)
Singles from Explosions
  1. "So Called Life"
    Released: November 29, 2021
  2. "Lifetime"
    Released: April 11, 2022
  3. "I Am the Weapon"
    Released: September 27, 2022

Explosions is the seventh studio album by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. It was released on May 6, 2022, through RCA Records. [2] The album was produced by Howard Benson and by the band themselves. [3] It the band's third album to feature Matt Walst as lead vocalist, and their last before the return of founding vocalist Adam Gontier in 2024.

Contents

Background and recording

The band announced their seventh studio album, Explosions, after the release of "So Called Life". [4] They also announced tour dates for the spring that will take place in April and May 2022. [4] In February 2022, the band officially revealed the track list and the cover art for the album. [5]

The group began writing the album in February 2020. According to bassist Brad Walst, the album is about, "That feeling inside, like you're gonna explode." [6] He explained the process of recording the album, "We didn't see each other for the longest time. We recorded nine or ten songs separately, in different studios, and by ourselves, which we've never done before." [7] According to Walst, the album has the heaviest songs they've ever written and reminded him of their debut album. [8] Drummer Neil Sanderson talked about what inspired the record with Loudwire, "There is a common thread of theme going through it — the notion of just feeling like you have to self-center yourself in today's world, but then at the same time, you have to hear the opinions of everyone." [9]

Promotion

In support of the album's release, the band embarked on a US spring tour from April and May 2022. [10] The group also headlined the Explosions Tour from July to November 2022 in North America, with support from Wage War and Zero 9:36 for American dates, and The Warning and The Standstills for Canadian dates. [11] They also toured in Europe from September and October 2022. [12] The tour was a success with several shows selling out in Europe, most notably at TonHalle in Munich, Germany, grossing $70,195 from 2,000 tickets sold, according to Pollstar . [13] They later joined Shinedown on the Revolutions Tour from April to May 2023. [14] The tour was also a success, notably the concert at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington grossing $522,870 off of 7,123 tickets sold. [13] The group co-headlined a tour alongside Chevelle in the fall of 2023 with support from Loathe. [15]

Singles

"So Called Life" is the first single released from the album. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart for four consecutive weeks marking the band's 16th number one on the chart. [16] "Neurotic" was released on February 17, 2022, as a promotional single, featuring Lukas Rossi. [5] The second official single "Lifetime" was released on April 11, 2022. [17] The song was dedicated to the people of Mayfield, Kentucky after an EF4 tornado hit the city in December 2021. [17] The song peaked at number one, both on active and mainstream rock charts making it the bands 17th number one on the charts. [18] The third single, "I Am the Weapon" was released on September 27, 2022. [19]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [20]
Distorted Sound7/10 [21]
Metal Hammer 4/7 [22]
Rock N' Load9/10 [1]
Ultimate Guitar 6.7/10 [23]
Wall of Sound7.5/10 [24]

Explosions has been received with positive reviews. Rock N' Load gave the album a 9/10 rating complimenting Matt Walst's vocals on songs such as "Lifetime" and "A Scar is Born". [1] Timothy Monger of AllMusic remarked, "the album feels like a continuation of the gritty, aggressive rock that has been the group's hallmark since the beginning." [20] Dan McHugh of Distorted Sound stated, "Three Days Grace know how to reel off a tonne of crowd pleasers. The only issue is that the high-energy floor fillers are all crammed into the front end and this allows for the injected adrenaline to wain and dissipate as Explosions progresses." [21] Ricky Aarons of Wall of Sound noted that "some may argue it's 'safe', it also continues to deliver new variations of their signature style, to a fanbase that's literally in the millions, and always craving new material." [24]

To date, the album has sold 44,000 equivalent album units in the US. [18]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for Explosions
YearOrganizationAwardResultRef(s)
2023 Juno Awards Rock Album of the Year Nominated [25]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Three Days Grace and Ted Bruner, all music written by Three Days Grace and Ted Bruner, except when noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."So Called Life" 3:26
2."I Am the Weapon"
2:55
3."Neurotic" (featuring Lukas Rossi)
3:18
4."Lifetime" 2:57
5."A Scar Is Born" 3:33
6."Souvenirs" 3:10
7."No Tomorrow" 2:52
8."Redemption"
  • Johnny Andrews
  • M Walst
  • B Walst
  • Stock
  • Sanderson
3:10
9."Champion"
  • James Walst
  • M Walst
  • B Walst
  • Stock
  • Sanderson
3:01
10."Chain of Abuse" 3:05
11."Someone to Talk To" (featuring Apocalyptica) 2:53
12."Explosions" 3:27
Total length:37:51
Japanese edition bonus track [26]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Somebody That I Used to Know" Wally de Backer 3:29
Total length:41:20

Personnel

Credits retrieved from album's liner notes. [27]

Charts

Chart performance for Explosions
Chart (2022)Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [28] 37
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [29] 30
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [30] 28
Scottish Albums (OCC) [31] 92
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [32] 53
UK Album Sales (OCC) [33] 42
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [34] 43
UK Physical Albums (OCC) [35] 47
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [36] 8
US Billboard 200 [37] 102
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [38] 9
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [39] 13
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) [40] 4

Release history

Release history and formats for Explosions
RegionDateEditionFormatLabelRef.
VariousMay 6, 2022Standard RCA [41] [42]
United Kingdom Vinyl [43]
JapanJapanese bonus trackCD Sony Music Japan [44]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Conor (May 5, 2022). "Three Days Grace // Explosions // Album Review". Rock N' Load. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Three Days Grace Announces New Music Video and Explosions Tour" . Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Three Days Grace – Explosions (Album Review)". 30 April 2022.
  4. 1 2 Childers, Chad (November 29, 2021). "Three Days Grace Seek Escape With Heavy New Song 'So Called Life', Announce New Album". Loudwire . Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Childers, Chad (February 17, 2022). "Three Days Grace Team With Lukas Rossi on Anthemic New Song 'Neurotic'". Loudwire . Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Brad Walst, Three Days Grace – "Matt's Come a Long Way, so I'm Excited for the Future"". September 30, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  7. ↑ Aarons, Ricky (May 6, 2022). "Brad Walst – Three Days Grace 'Still Alive with Explosions'" . Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  8. ↑ Greg Prato (May 10, 2022). "Three Days Grace's Brad Walst − "Distinguished Gentleman Among Young"" . Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  9. ↑ Schaffner, Lauryn (December 3, 2021). "How Today's Social Climate Inspired Three Days Grace's New Album Explosions". Loudwire . Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  10. ↑ Chad Childers (November 15, 2021). "Three Days Grace Book Spring 2022 US Tour Dates". Loudwire . Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Three Days Grace Announces Summer/Fall 2022 North American Tour Dates". Blabbermouth.net . April 11, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  12. ↑ James Weaver (April 2, 2022). "Three Days Grace Announce European Tour". Distorted Sound. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  13. 1 2 Oscar Areliz (May 30, 2023). "Three Days Grace Announces Fall Tour With Chevelle". Pollstar . Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Shinedown Announces April/May 2023 U.S. Tour With Three Days Grace". Blabbermouth.net . January 23, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  15. ↑ Will Navidson (May 30, 2023). "Chevelle, Three Days Grace and Loathe Announce Fall 2023 Tour". Revolver . Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  16. ↑ Rutherford, Kevin (February 1, 2022). "Three Days Grace Ties Shinedown for Most Mainstream Rock Airplay No. 1s". Billboard . Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  17. 1 2 Childers, Chad (April 11, 2022). "Three Days Grace Dedicate 'Lifetime' Video + U.S. Tour to Helping Mayfield Tornado Victims". Loudwire . Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  18. 1 2 Rutherford, Kevin (July 6, 2022). "Three Days Grace Ties Shinedown Again for Most Mainstream Rock Airplay No. 1s". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Future Releases - Rock". All Access . Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  20. 1 2 Monger, Timothy. "Explosions – Three Days Grace Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  21. 1 2 McHugh, Dan (May 5, 2022). "Album Review: Explosions – Three Days Grace". Distorted Sound Magazine. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  22. ↑ Weckmann, Matthias (May 6, 2022). "Kritik zu Three Days Grace Explosions". Metal Hammer (in German). Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  23. ↑ Travis Lausch (June 12, 2022). "Explosions Review - Three Days Grace". Ultimate Guitar . Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  24. 1 2 Aarons, Ricky (April 30, 2022). "Three Days Grace – Explosions (Album Review)". Wall of Sound. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  25. ↑ Paul Grein (January 31, 2023). "The Weeknd Tops 2023 Juno Awards Nominations: Full List". Billboard . Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  26. ↑ "エクスプロージョンズ" (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan . Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  27. ↑ Explosions (booklet). RCA. 2022.
  28. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Three Days Grace – Explosions" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Three Days Grace Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Three Days Grace – Explosions" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  32. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Three Days Grace – Explosions". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  33. ↑ "Official Albums Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  34. ↑ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  35. ↑ "Official Physical Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  36. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  37. ↑ "Three Days Grace Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  38. ↑ "Three Days Grace Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  39. ↑ "Three Days Grace Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  40. ↑ "Three Days Grace Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard . Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  41. ↑ "Explosions - Three Days Grace (CD - RCA #19439963432)". AllMusic . Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  42. ↑ "Explosions - Three Days Grace (LP - RCA #19439963431)". AllMusic . Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  43. ↑ "Explosions - Three Days Grace". HMV . Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  44. ↑ "Explosions - Three Days Grace". Oricon . Retrieved February 25, 2024.
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