The year is 2004. “Until The Day I Die” is filling the airwaves and most music video stations. St. Louis’ STORY OF THE YEAR had finally arrived. After a name change from BIG BLUE MONKEY and a slight lineup shuffle, SOTY had found the formula that would launch them into stardom. Add in mega producer John Feldman and you have “Page Avenue,” a twelve song album of blistering tracks, chunky guitars and catchy melody.
SOTY had a reputation for their flawless, energetic live shows with acrobatics and flying bodies. Having witnessed this first hand, it’s easy to see how and why they were able to catch the public’s eye and instantly become a mainstay in the hard rock scene.
After the release of In The Wake Of Determination in 2005, SOTY parted ways with Maverick records in hopes of finding a new home that will allow them to grow as band and individuals. Two studio albums, and a live album later, SOTY has survived the major label machine, and even found a new home on EPITAPH Records. The 2008 release of The Black Swan had led the band back to a more raw and aggressive approach to their songwriting. Though it was aggressive, they were able to keep their hooks and melody that made them so popular to begin with. Once again, they felt as if they were ready to once again conquer the charts…
That brings us to the present…
After locking themselves into their St. Louis home, the band had written their newest record THE CONSTANT. After recruiting producer Elvis Baskette, and “stripping off the excess and getting back to basics” entered the studio to create what they hoped would be their greatest record to date. “This was the fastest recording and writing experience for us ever and it was cool because we didn’t overthink everything,” explains the band’s vocalist Dan Marsala.
At first listen, I was thoroughly impressed with the bands back-to-basics approach. “The Children Sing” is a great opener that is melodic and catchy, but not too abrasive. Though the album has stand out tracks like “The Dream Is Over,” “Ten Years Down” and “Eye For An Eye,” which I cannot get out of my head, it has it musically and lyrically cheesy moments with “I’m Alive” and “Remember The Time” which are too sugar coated and sappy. Overall the feel of the record is fresh with a few surprises, but they did lose a lot of their edge which has captivated so many people in the past. Though this is not their best record, it would be a stretch to call it their worst as well. I would rate this record as a 7.5/10, making it a mostly solid disc definitely worth picking up.
Be sure to keep up with SOTY on Twitter (@StoryOfTheYear) as well as Epitaph Records (@EpitaphRecs) for all the upcoming info including tours, releases and so forth.
–Jeff Curtis (@Jeff_Leppard)