Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
There are two kinds of people in this world — those who have seen a Spinosaurus edit on Instagram, and those who have not. If you have, your ears have already been graced with “Animal I Have Become” from the “One-X” album by Three Days Grace.
“One-X” is rooted in the lead singer Adam Gontier’s experience of going through rehabilitation for substance use disorder. Gontier’s journals inspired many of the lyrics on the album — including the three songs discussed in this review.
“Pain” is the second track on the album and opens with an evocative guitar riff behind the vocals of Gontier describing his wish to feel pain. Recurring throughout the song is the lyric “’Cause I’d rather feel pain than nothing at all” at the end of each chorus.
This direct statement of the urge to feel anything — even extreme pain — places the listener in Gontier’s mindset.
Following this first chorus, the drums, guitar and bass come in with a more intense version of the initial riff to accompany the rest of the song.
At the outset of the first verse, Gontier confronts the listener with the familiar feeling of loneliness that accompanies substance use disorder. The lyric, “You’re sick of feeling numb / You’re not the only one,” however, smashes the idea that those experiencing substance use disorder are isolated in their feelings.
This was an intentional choice made by Gontier. While writing “One-X,” Gontier was surprised to find out he was not alone in his feelings of isolation, with that feeling being shared by other members of the band, according to an article published by V13.
Following this brief moment of shared struggle, the song refocuses on being in a numb state, yearning for anything to break through mentally. Lyrics like “This life is filled with hurt / When happiness doesn’t work” and “Anger and agony are better than misery” crash into the listener like a cold wave of aimlessness.
The song closes with Gontier shouting out one last time that he would “rather feel pain” before the cymbal echoes into silence.
Then, the kick drum and bass riff of “Animal I Have Become” replaces that silence with a pulsating, rage-filled energy. As the intro progresses, a slashing guitar mirroring the bass and drums is introduced.
Listeners are sucked in by the lyric, “I can’t escape this hell / So many times I’ve tried.” No longer focused on a desire for pain, Gontier wrestles through this song with feeling trapped by OxyContin.
Gontier stated “Animal I Have Become” was “my realization that change had to happen, I had to ask for help.” This is reinforced at the end of each verse with the lyric “Somebody get me through this nightmare / I can’t control myself.”
The chorus amps up the emotion, filling the listener with a primal feeling of fury — unsurprising for a song with the name “Animal I Have Become.”
Gontier howling out, “So what if you can see the darkest side of me? / No one would ever change this animal I have become,” hits the listener squarely with fear. Fear of others discovering his substance use and the fear that he is stuck as the person it makes him.
The next line contains a plea for someone to, “Help me believe it’s not the real me / Somebody help me tame this animal.” It solidifies Gontier’s terror about his current state not being “the real me,” and that his substance use is not just something he needs help with, but that it needs to be tamed.
At the end of “Animal I Have Become,” all these components come together in a thunderous crash of sound, with discordantly plucked strings on the distorted guitar ringing out — similar to an animal's growl.
Later in the album, the song “Riot” stands out from other tracks. Yet another song written by Gontier in rehab, “Riot” is a call to action against feeling overburdened and burnt-out.
Loudwire conducted an interview in which guitarist Barry Stock stated that the song's riff is inspired by “Black Sabbath,” by the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath.
“Riot” focuses much more on the commonality of the shared effects of substance use disorder on individuals, as well as other shared feelings of exhaustion and frustration.
The verses of the song call out to anyone experiencing struggle. Lyrics such as, “If you feel so empty / So used up, so let down / If you feel so angry / So ripped off, so stepped on” and “If you feel so filthy / So dirty, so fucked up / If you feel so walked on / So painful, so pissed off” bring together individuals grappling with those feelings.
Repeated throughout the song is the lyric, “You’re not the only one refusing to back down / You’re not the only one, so get up,” serves as a rallying cry. The chorus simply repeats, “Let’s start a riot / A riot” ignites a rebellious feeling in the listener.
“Riot” concludes as Gontier screams out one prolonged “Let’s start a riot,” with his voice cracking as he holds the lyric over the distorted ringing of the guitar.
“One-X” is written from a place of struggle and pain. It confronts the listener with those emotions, conveys the desperation of experiencing them and drives them toward taking action against what’s causing them to feel that way.
Whether you want some sick background music for an edit of a dinosaur or need music that gives you a space to not feel so alone in your struggles, “One-X” may be the album for you.
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