One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours

Background, writing and recording

The album was written and demoed in Northampton at Alex Westaway's barn and then recorded in Los Angeles with producer Matt Wallace (Faith No More, Satchel, Deftones) in Spring 2007. Recording took place in the studios next to Metallica, who at the time were in the early stages of production on their ninth album Death Magnetic.

Lyrically, the album is more of a "personal record" according to frontman Charlie Simpson, as opposed to Grand Unification, which was written as more of a social commentary with a concept based on the Japanese anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.

He stated that the end of his seven-year relationship whilst writing the album was the reason for this and songs "Deathcar" and "Unfamiliar Ceilings" were directly about the breakup. The track "Floods" was in reference to global warming and "One Day Son" was written about war and the consequences it may have on future generations. "99" was given its name because when Simpson was trying to rename the demo of the track he dropped his laptop down the stairs and the only key that worked was the 9.

Speaking about the general meaning behind the album title, Simpson stated:

"One Day Son This Will All Be Yours" was taken from a picture I saw. It's kind of... the state of things in Iraq at the moment, and it was just basically saying that with everything going on at the moment, whether it be global warming or the wars, or anything in peoples' personal lives – the actions we take now. The repercussions of it, a lot of the things that us a human race are doing at the moment – we're going to see the consequences in fifty years when we're all pretty much old and ready to pop our clogs. It is our kids and our kids' generations that'll deal with it.

Release and promotion

"99" was the first new material promoted from the album. Kerrang! Radio premiered the song on 4 April 2007 announcing it would be download-only and would be available online. The band put a temporary microsite online as of 11 May where fans could sign up and download the single and accompanying video for free. In May and June, the band went on a US tour alongside Emanuel, Madina Lake and Firescape. For the remainder of June, the band toured with Alexisonfire, Funeral for a Friend and Emanuel.

"Floods" was intended to be the first official single, but was later changed to "We Apologise For Nothing" in light of the recent flooding in Britain. "Deathcar" was the band's next single, which was the first record on the VinylDisc format to be released in the UK.

"Floods" was finally released as the third official single on 3 March 2008. "I Am The Message" was released as the fifth and final single on 16 June 2008, before the band begin working on new material.

Reception

The album received strong reviews upon its release, further increasing the band's respect and popularity within the UK's alternative rock/metal scene. The release saw the band expand their sound and push further into both lighter and heavier territories, with a mixture of more melodic soundscapes and heavier metallic styles.

HMV described the album as "a harder effort than previous album Grand Unification, this album is a thrilling mixture of alt. rock and post-hardcore". Joe DeAndrea of AbsolutePunk.net scored the album at 83%, and praised the diversity of songs on offer:

If you like the direction One Day Son takes with "Deathcar", you'll surely enjoy "H.I.P. (Enough)" and "Tannhauser", the tracks that are no doubt the hardest the band's ever written. One Day Son closes with the relaxing "Unfamiliar Ceilings", featuring soft female vocals and a kick drum while lacking the big guitar riffs that are present in almost all of the songs in this album.

Robert Jackman of the BBC was generally favourable, although he did state the album was "tugged in too many directions". He went on to add, "Radio-friendly single '99' is weighty yet melodic, 'You and I' is a ripening attempt at a breathy serenade, while harder tracks like 'Tannhauser' throb with well-regimented aggression, threatening to pulverise anyone who might question the band's rock credentials". In the News awarded the album 7/10. Lewis Bazley was favourable, although he stated the second half of the album didn't hold up as strong as the first:

The first half of the album is superb post-hardcore, with Wallace's production helping the growing vocal confidence of Simpson and Westaway and Abidi's percussion providing weighty accompaniment to the vicious riffs. Though Deathcar's an outstanding headbanger, it's also a snapshot of the album's failing. The tendency to slip into the genre convention of sludgy opening riff followed by tuneful verses and soaring refrains would be more acceptable if said riffs were anything to write home about, but they're too often so uninspired and anachronistic that you dread their post-chorus return. It's a pity, because the opening seven tracks and the intriguing climax show the band's immense talent. Good, but not quite great - yet.

British publication Kerrang! gave the album KKKK's (4/5) and summarized: "this is an album with a gigantic heart, a work that places them among the best Britain has to offer. It could well make them unstoppable". Q Magazine also rated the album 4/5, stating: "the intricate instrumental passages, multi-tracked vocal harmonies and pounding riffs hint at Muse-scale ambition and intellect". The Sun awarded the album four stars and stated that the band are fully credible:

They've paid their dues and worked their way up from nowhere on the rock scene. The fact they've earned respect and not just expected it, speaks volumes in itself. Heavier, slicker and as focused as ever, tracks such as "99" and "We Apologise For Nothing" embrace an epic, panoramic sound that sweeps you off your feet. It's aggressive but emotive, with heaps of melody among the huge, riffs. Fightstar are 100 per cent credible and a band the UK can be 100 per cent proud of!

Track listing

All lyrics written by Charlie Simpson and Alex Westaway; all music composed by Fightstar, except where noted.

Personnel

The following personnel contributed to One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours: