3 doors down time of my life

Released: 18 July 2011 Label: Spinefarm

As the follow up to their 2008 self-titled album, the Mississippi rockers have picked up their instruments, taken full advantage and knocked out their fifth studio album Time of My Life. According to vocalist Brad Arnold “this album isn’t as mainstream as our last.” Maybe so, but mainstream or not, the wildcard has paid off.

To boot up the album the first song we get is Time of My Life. On paper it sounds as though it’s some sort of love song. But as the first few bars kick in that image is wiped out! It’s not too heavy and not too soft, just perfectly structured. With the easy listening vocals to the catchy guitar riffs, the song has a familiarity to it. First song in and we are welcomed with a bang! If you like a bit of ‘kick in the teeth’ this is your song!

For the second helping of the album, we get When You’re Young. With its slow, harmonious intro, the band left themselves open to showing off the variety of songs they can do. Of course, they’ve thrown a little arrogance in there and chucked in a little solo just to polish off the song!

Picking up the speed again, we get the pacey but steady Round and Round. With the punchy drumming of Greg Upchurch, the catchy riffs of Matt Roberts the song is light and tight. Its catchy 4/4 beat gives it a little cheek; so yes it’s a toe tapping tune!

To hear them flex their musical muscles even further, fast forward to track four. Heaven is literally a song for everyone! Again we get the picky melodic intro as seen been before, but with the contrast of a distorted chorus you’d imagine to find it on a ‘21st Century soft rock ballads’ album. His moaning, almost bluesy, vocals plaster the song with depth and yet again, we have a ‘put that song on repeat’ hit!

I know this may sound cheesy, but Race for the Sun is an absolute, ‘put on your sunglasses, rebel, get in a rusty black car and just drive’ song! It so works! Even though the song is quite basic it simply oozes with character and plays a role that deserves an Oscar!

Jump to track seven and we get Every Time You Go. It’s a song that’s got just about everything in it in small doses;  a tiny solo, slow parts, faster parts all held together by the binding drumming. It’s the ‘dolly mixture song’ of the album.

For the grand finale we get Believer. An album can either fade away quietly or go out with a bang. Put it this way, the album opened with a bang and left by just plain and simply showing off. Without giving away too much I’ll just say, close your eyes because the solo says it all!

As a whole, the album is good. 3 Doors Down have shown us what they can do and how to do it right! We get a selection of ‘pub tunes’, ‘movie tunes’, ‘thinking tunes’ and ‘classic tunes’.  Put it all together and we get a jukebox worthy album!

by Kathryn Longbottom