Three Days Grace - Alienation
- Samuel Stevens
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Three Days Grace have always been a band defined by resilience. Since their explosive rise in the early 2000s, their catalogue has soundtracked heartbreak, rage, addiction, and survival—anthems for those battling inner wars. With Alienation (out August 22, 2025, via RCA Records), the Canadian rock giants take one of the boldest steps of their career: the return of original vocalist Adam Gontier, nearly twelve years after his departure. The result is a record that feels both like a homecoming and a rebirth—an album that captures the band’s original fire while pushing into heavier, darker territory.
The album’s twelve tracks dive headfirst into themes of isolation, collapse, and defiance, as drummer Neil Sanderson describes: “Some of what we write about—anxiety, addiction, heartbreak, disconnect—are often a different wave of the same storm. And yet, buried in all the wreckage is something human—still reaching out.” That sentiment fuels the lifeblood of Alienation, a record that bridges nostalgia with reinvention.
Opening track “Dominate” wastes no time in setting the tone. A pummeling riff and relentless rhythm section propel Adam Gontier’s unmistakably gritty and fiery verses before Matt Walst’s voice cuts through on the chorus, creating a rare dual-vocal dynamic. It’s a song about grit, ambition, and defiance—the perfect reintroduction to a band that thrives on proving doubters wrong.
“Apologies” is pure Three Days Grace DNA—anthemic, emotionally raw, and designed to be screamed back by arenas full of fans. The driving guitars and soaring chorus recall the band’s early 2000s prime, yet the production feels sharpened for 2025’s alt-metal landscape. The track’s lyrical weight, dealing with love lost and the futility of regret, cements it as one of the record’s most impactful moments.
Elsewhere, “Mayday” takes aim at a world teetering on collapse, weaving social commentary with exhaustion-fueled urgency. Meanwhile, “Kill Me Fast” is a standout emotional gut-punch, with Gontier at his most vulnerable. His voice carries the raw ache of someone begging for closure, his lyrics cutting as deep as anything from One-X. The title track, “Alienation,” distills the band’s mission statement: a brooding anthem about disconnection, belonging, and the pain of existing outside the lines.
Tracks like “In Waves” and “Deathwish” lean into the heavier side of the band’s sound, showcasing Barry Stock’s crushing guitar work and Brad Walst’s rumbling bass tones, while “Never Ordinary” and “Don’t Wanna Go Home Tonight” deliver more melodic, hook-driven rockers destined for radio play. The closing stretch—“In Cold Blood,” “The Power,” and “Another Relapse”—serves as both reflection and catharsis, pairing sombre lyrics with surging arrangements that leave the listener exhausted, but certainly fulfilled.
What makes Alienation remarkable is how it doesn’t feel like a mere nostalgia trip. Instead, it’s a fusion: the raw emotional grit of early Three Days Grace colliding with the arena-sized modern rock sensibilities they’ve honed over the past decade without Gontier. The dual presence of Adam Gontier and Matt Walst—once a point of division among fans—now feels like an unlikely strength, giving the band new textures and perspectives to explore.
With Alienation, Three Days Grace delivers their strongest, most cohesive record in years. It’s a bruising, cathartic, and deeply human album—one that proves the band is not only still relevant but perhaps more vital than ever. After decades of fighting through storms both personal and professional, they’ve emerged with an album that reminds us why their music mattered in the first place—and why it still does.
It's a triumphant return and reinvention. Alienation blends the best of Three Days Grace’s past and present. For longtime fans, it’s the record they’ve been waiting for. For newcomers, it’s proof that the band is still one of modern rock’s most powerful voices.