3 Doors Down - Away from the Sun

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Music reviews of Away from the Sun

Music Review: Nothing new really, but still going strong.
Rating: 4 Stars

First things first, this is a good album. 3 Doors Down aren't a band to experiment or reinvent the music scene as we know it, or anything like that, but they are a catchy, fun, hard-rocking band, who delivers good memorable songs at a caliber not often heard on the radio these days. "Dangerous Game" and "Going Down in Flames" are great melodic rockers, fast-paced and energetic but still very catchy. The two singles, "When I'm Gone" and "The Road I'm On" are nice semi-ballads, as is the peaceful title track. The album overall is much softer and more laid-back than "The Better Life", which is a bit disappointing, but oh well. However, the closing track, "Sarah Yellin", is angry and hard-hitting, and a nice contrast to the overall slower pace of the album. Well, I call it a "closing track", but technically it isn't. There is also a hidden track (the name of which I have no idea), which is definitely a highlight. Great riff, but very melodic. These kinds of things are always a pleasant surprise.

Ok, we've discussed the good, now let's go over the bad. Despite all the great songs mentioned above, there are a few here that just fall flat. "I Feel You" and "Wasting Days" are just dull and pointless, and perfectly definitive of the term "filler". "Here Without You" is your basic obligatory string-laden ballad, which is nice for what it is, but it just strikes me as being sappy and overdone. I loved "Be Like That", because of its memorable melodies and nice arrangement, but I just don't get the same feel from this song. That song sounded like they really put their heart and soul into it, this one is just kinda there.

Another thing I've gotta point out is the song "Changes". I really don't know what the deal is with this song. When it first started, I thought it sounded interesting and vaguely familiar. Then I realized why it sounded familiar. This song bears a striking resemblance to Creed. I'm not really sure what to think about this, as I'm not really sure how I feel about Creed these days (I don't hate them like everyone else does, but well, you know...), but the whole thing just seems weird to me. 3 Doors Down have always (to me, anyway) been a band that exhibited a lot more of their own sound than most of the bands on the radio today. Even though they often get (unfairly) lumped into the whole Creed/Pearl Jam ripoff group, I have always thought they were mostly pretty distinct (and outside of this song, I never thought they sounded like either of those bands at all). So, this odd Creed-sounding song that came out of nowhere, and sounds nothing like the rest of their stuff just seems a bit perplexing. But, I don't know. Either way, I'm certain I'm the only one who's put this much thought into it, but that's me. :)

As of now, the band is still without a full-time drummer. Frontman Brad Arnold took care of drum duties on the first album, but for this one they brought in drum extraordinaire Josh Freese. This guy has played with everyone from Michael Jackson to jazz fusion bands, and here he proves once again that he can fit in playing just about anything. The drumming is overall pretty simple, but his magic touch and groove are still prevalent, especially on the hidden track. I don't think he actually wrote any of the drum parts, but he delivers them just as well as if they were his own creation. I wasn't at all expecting him to be on this album, so that was quite a nice surprise. The whole band is pretty much in fine form, though. Technically, they don't do anything out of the ordinary, but they really know how to play for the song. A lot of the best musicians could take a few lessons in this area.

Along with this, you also get a little bonus DVD, which includes some music videos (which is just songs from the first album, but that's not a bad thing at all), and a short little bio, which is pretty entertaining. All the guys seem to be pretty humble and down to earth, which is always nice to see in a popular band. They appreciate the recognition they've gotten, but they haven't let the fame go to their heads. If more bands would focus more on the music, and not be so concerned with being "cool", the mainstream wouldn't be in the sad state that it is. It's nice to see there are a few bands who aren't all wrapped up in the image. Congrats to them for that.

So anyway, this album is pretty good. Personally, I don't think it's anywhere near on the level with "The Better Life", which is just fantastic from start to finish, but when compared to a lot of the stuff getting airplay these days, it definitely stands out. They may not necessarily do anything different from your average radio rock band, they just do it better.

Description of Away from the Sun

Alternative Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Classic Rock
• Hard Rock & Metal
• Pop
• Rock