Length 43:44 Artist Three Days Grace Label Jive Records | One-X
(2006) Life Starts Now
(2009) Release date 13 June 2006 Producer Howard Benson | |
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Released 000000002006-06-13-0000June 13, 2006 Recorded November 2005 – January 2006 at Bay 7 Studios, Valley Village Studios and Sparky Dog Studios, Calabasas, CA Genres Alternative rock, Alternative metal, Post-grunge, Hard rock Similar Life Starts Now, Three Days Grace, Transit of Venus, Human, Wave of Popular Feeling | ||
One-X is the second studio album by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. This is their first album recorded as a four-piece band, as Barry Stock joined the group and took over lead guitar from lead singer Adam Gontier. The album was released on June 13, 2006. They worked with producer Howard Benson for the album, a decision which proved to be a great move for the band, as the album was both a critical and financial success. It is their first and only album under Sony BMG, the successor to Sony Music Entertainment's original roots & Bertelsmann Music Group. The Sony BMG joint venture was dropped in 2008, which led to Bertelsmann's Sony BMG stake going back to Sony.
Contents
Pre-release and writing
Before One-X was released, the band previewed some numbers from the upcoming album on several occasions. They played four of the new songs, including "Animal I Have Become" and "Never Too Late", at the H.O.P.E. Volleyball SummerFest in Ottawa, July 2005. "Animal I Have Become" was released as a single and received substantial airplay before it was released with One-X.
Previews for four of the tracks on One-X were able to be found on Three Days Grace's Online Trading Cards. Tracks that could be previewed were "It's All Over", "Pain", "Never Too Late" and "Over and Over".
Adam Gontier wrote many of these songs during rehabilitation after being addicted to OxyContin (oxycodone), a pain killer. "Usually we all sit as a group, hanging out, working together, but here I was just alone, writing about how I felt," as Adam Gontier said in his docu-drama about his experience, Behind The Pain.
Album art
The album cover depicts a string of connected paper dolls with checkmarks on all with the exception of one which is crossed out, thus One X. On the inside, the CD tray shows all red fish, except one black fish. This same image is also on the "Animal I Have Become" single cover. The lyrics are included in the album booklet.
Sales
The album debuted at No. 2 on the Canadian Albums Chart. The album also entered the Billboard 200 albums chart at No. 5 with first week sales of more than 78,000 copies.
Reception
One-X was met with mostly positive reviews. The Toronto Star complimented the album with a review title of "One CD worth buying..." and focused on its lyrics, saying, "The lyrics really speak out to you, especially if you're going through a tough time in your life." AllMusic reviewer Corey Apar praised the music, saying it "remains catchy despite its lyrical darkness". Ultimate Guitar Archive gave a largely positive review of the album, and also praised Gontier's vocals, saying, "Gontier's strong vocal performance could explain why the band has garnered the success they've had. When you hear an infectious vocal, you might have a powerful urge to sing along." Kaj Roth at Melodic stated "Three Days Grace has lost their soul, their debut was a lot better!" Roth, however, praised the songs "Animal I Have Become" and "Pain".
Accolades
In 2007, One-X earned the band an award for Rock Artist of the Year by Billboard magazine. They won a Media Base award for most played rock song on radio in Canada for their single "Animal I Have Become". One-X has been certified double platinum in Canada, and triple platinum in the US.
Personnel
Songs
1It's All Over4:09
2Pain3:23
3Animal I Have Become3:51