Band : Story Of The Year

Album title : The Black Swan

Label : Epitaph

Distributor : PIAS - Concrete Web Promotion Office

Release date : 21/04/2008

Release : CD

Wow man, when the editor-in-chief casually told me I could this one too, little did I know about the background of this band. Sure, like so many people, I'd heard the band's name mentioned a couple of times during the last couple of years, but I had truly had no idea... That same evening, I was giving the album a first listening session...and was amazed at the level of Metal content for an Epitaph band. Tim e for some research!!!

Apparently, the roots for Story Of The Year go back to Rap 'n' Roll outfit 67 North , formed in 1995 by high school friends Dan Marsala (vocalist) and Ryan Phillips (guitar, later to also become an active member of Means Well and Locash ). Based in St. Louis, Missouri, which has a somewhat incestuous scene, would see Marsala playing drums and the really active Phillips playing guitar, in Nu-Metal act Big Blue Monkey (which produced two EPs in that line-up). During the year 2000 half of the lin-up of BBM opted out, allowing Marsala to take the lead vocal role, Joshua Wells of Means Well stepping in on drums. One Adam Russel would tke on the bass, and the band also enroled a second guitarist. To make ends meet, Marsala , Phillips and Wills delivered pizza's, while Russel brought in even more funding for the band in the function of manager of a pizzeria (I'm not sure if it was the same one the three others were employed, but logic makes me believe so). BBM incresed their concert activities, made three more EPs, and realizing the limitations of their geographical location, moved to the more opportunous Orange County. As it happened, BBM had encountered the guys from Goldfinger just prior to their move to Southern California, and soon after, Goldfinger offered the guys a support slot in their upcoming tour. At that time BBM adopted the new bandname of Story Of The Year!

With material very much in the Pop Punk vein, SOTY recorded their first full-length Page Avenue with renowned producer John Feldmann (Atreyu, Good Charlotte, Lostprophets, The Used), whom would be instrumental in getting the band a showcase for Mav eric k ...which got them signed to the label. But even during the recording sessions internal friction had prompted the departure of the additional guitarist, his place swiftly taken by St. Louis native Philip Sneed, previously of Maybe Today. During the next two years following the release of their major label debut (issued September 2003), SOTY would play a staggering 517 shows in 540 days to promote the album and, crossing the US no less than 10 times during that time playing massive festivals such as the Van's Warped Tour and Taste Of Chaos as well as world tours with the likes of Chemical Romance , Linkin Park and The Used , the band would see their album selling over half a million copies...going gold in the US, Australia, and Japan.

Not surprisingly, the life on the road had provided the impetus for the more guitar oriented and tougher material on the band's sophomore, October 2005 issued, album In The Wake Of Determination , even if the album was closed with a hidden acoustic track. The album barely released, and the quintet went back to a heavy touring scedule, kicking off with gigs throughout Australia in a heavyweight package involving Funeral For A Friend , Killswitch Engage , Rise Against , and The Used . Among the many other tours the guys did throughout the US in 2006, they also joined the Taste Of Chaos festival tour (which included Adair , As I Lay Dying , Atreyu , Deftones , Dre gd , Funeral For A Friend , Greeley Estates , Millionaire , Pelican , Silverstein , Street Drum Corps , The Confession , The Receiving End Of Sirens , The Smashup , and Thrice ). While that tour was still going on the 3-tracked enhanced EP Take Me Back was released by Mav eric k 's distributor Warner Bros. in the UK. All along, tensions were rising between the band and their label, and it was with relief as well as doubts about the viability of the band that the quintet celebrated their separation. They were eventually and duely picked up by Epitaph ...not the smallest of labels, but working from a family-kinda sense rather than the must-make-money ethics of major labels.

One bond which was nót severed, is the one with John Feldmann , whom co-produced the band's latest offering with " Elvis " Baskette (known from cooperations with Chevelle , Escape The Fate , Puddle Of Mudd ). In the biography provided by the label, frontman Dan Marsala is cited saying, "Making this records felt like starting over. We're like a brand new band. You can hear it in these songs, we're excited again. I think we've really stepped it up on this record."...a bold statement which I am unable to check out, since I've not heard the band's previous material, but I'll admit to finding The Black Swan a very inspiringly fresh album indeed! Vocally, I'd say the album has somewhat of a Screamo flavouring, the singer alternating from adrenalized clean to more aggressively rough, and getting some great backings from the second guitarist. Lyrically, the band has taken influence from socio-political angles as well as personal ones, dealing with the doubts about the continuation of the band ( "Tell Me" ), mixed racial love relations in the US ( "We're Not Gonna Make It" ), Carl Sagan 's book Pale Blue Dot and the relativity of humanity in the greater scheme of things ( "Wake Up" , "Pale Blue Dot (Interlude)" which includes a sample spoken by Sagan , and the band's first bonafide ballad "Terrified" ), Am eric an nationalism ( "Message To The World" ), and more. Thought-provoking stuff, which starts off with the   intro sample of the album opening "Choose Your Fate" . Actually , if you're hungry for more in-dept info on the songs, just surf to myspace.com/storyoftheyear where, besides some explanations about the new album, you'll also find some mp3-files [two "album samples" and a full-length "Wake Up" – (also available as video), plus full-lengths of two tracks off the sophomore, and one off the debut album. In the video section of storyoftheyear.net you'll find further video footage by the band]. Luckily for us, the booklet comes complete with the song lyrics!

Going back to the musical side of things, in the case of SOTY things are generally indicated as "Alternative Rock". A categorisation to which I initially pulled my eyebrows up after having heard the album. At several instances the "organic" feel of producer " Elvis " Baskette gets the guitars a somewhat Stoner feel, especially when the musical interlude asks for a slower passage. Furthermore, I feel the term "Metal" is more indicated seen the overall aggression displayed by the band. Which doesn't mean that the band doesn't have plenty of more sensitive moments, which excell in the beautiful ballad "Terrified" . The combination of alternating yet always melodic aggression and the sensitivity laid in the vocal delivery makes for material which is so catchy one feels compelled to listen to the album over and over again! I personally won't go as far as to add The Black Swan into my "Best Albums Of 2008"-list (even if, truth be told, it came close. After all, this review was somewhat of a rush job), but I can imagine quite effortlessly that for many people that's where the album will land.

"Rush job"? Yeah...actually the album's been available in stores for two weeks now, and the band are coming over to Europe this very week-end, their first appearance being at Belgium's Groezrock in Meerhout (May 10). from there, it's off to Holland (Rotterdam's Waterfront on the 11 th ), Germany (3 gigs), Austria, Italy, and Switzerland, before a short tour of the UK (5 gigs). Then, it's off to Australia again for a couple of gigs, and a performance in Jakarta (Indonesia), before jumping (again) on the Van's Warped Tour starting June 19 th . Looks like a busy Summer "on the road" ahead for the guys...but then they've become used to that way of living.

92/100

Tony.