Explosions (Three Days Grace album)

Explosions is the seventh studio album by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. It was released on May 6, 2022, through RCA Records. The album was produced by Howard Benson and by members of the band.

Background and recording
The band announced their seventh studio album, Explosions, after the release of "So Called Life". They also announced tour dates for the spring that will take place in April and May 2022. In February 2022, the band officially revealed the track list and the cover art for the album.

The group began writing the album in February 2020. According to bassist Brad Walst, the album is about, "That feeling inside, like you're gonna explode." He explained the process of recording the album, "We didn't see each other for the longest time. We recorded nine or ten songs separately, in different studios, and by ourselves, which we've never done before." According to Walst, the album has the heaviest songs they've ever written and reminded him of their debut album. Drummer Neil Sanderson talked about what inspired the record with Loudwire, "There is a common thread of theme going through it — the notion of just feeling like you have to self-center yourself in today's world, but then at the same time, you have to hear the opinions of everyone."

Promotion
In support of the album's release, the band embarked on a US spring tour from April and May 2022. The group also headlined the Explosions Tour from July to November 2022 in North America, with support from Wage War and Zero 9:36 for American dates, and The Warning and The Standstills for Canadian dates. They also toured in Europe from September and October 2022. The tour was a success with several shows selling out in Europe, most notably at TonHalle in Munich, Germany, grossing $70,195 from 2,000 tickets sold, according to Pollstar. They later joined Shinedown on the Revolutions Tour from April to May 2023. The tour was also a success, notably the concert at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington grossing $522,870 off of 7,123 tickets sold. The group co-headlined a tour alongside Chevelle in the fall of 2023 with support from Loathe.

Singles
"So Called Life" is the first single released from the album. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart for four consecutive weeks marking the band's 16th number one on the chart. "Neurotic" was released on February 17, 2022, as a promotional single, featuring Lukas Rossi. The second official single "Lifetime" was released on April 11, 2022. The song was dedicated to the people of Mayfield, Kentucky after an EF4 tornado hit the city in December 2021. The song peaked at number one, both on active and mainstream rock charts making it the bands 17th number one on the charts. The third single, "I Am the Weapon" was released on September 27, 2022.

Critical reception
Explosions has been received with positive reviews. Rock N' Load gave the album a 9/10 rating complimenting Matt Walst's vocals on songs such as "Lifetime" and "A Scar is Born". Timothy Monger of AllMusic remarked, "the album feels like a continuation of the gritty, aggressive rock that has been the group's hallmark since the beginning." Dan McHugh of Distorted Sound stated, "Three Days Grace know how to reel off a tonne of crowd pleasers. The only issue is that the high-energy floor fillers are all crammed into the front end and this allows for the injected adrenaline to wain and dissipate as Explosions progresses." Ricky Aarons of Wall of Sound noted that "some may argue it's 'safe', it also continues to deliver new variations of their signature style, to a fanbase that's literally in the millions, and always craving new material."

To date, the album has sold 44,000 equivalent album units in the US.

Track listing
All lyrics written by Three Days Grace and Ted Bruner, all music written by Three Days Grace and Ted Bruner, except when noted.

Personnel
Credits retrieved from album's liner notes.

Three Days Grace
 * Matt Walst – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, composer, lyricist, producer
 * Barry Stock – lead guitar, composer, lyricist, producer
 * Brad Walst – bass guitar, composer, lyricist, producer
 * Neil Sanderson – drums, backing vocals, piano, composer, producer, programmer

Additional musicians
 * Lukas Rossi – guest vocals (3), composer, lyricist
 * Eicca Toppinen – rhythm cello (11)
 * Paavo Lötjönen – rhythm/bass cello (11)
 * Perttu Kivilaakso – lead cello (11)
 * Mikko Sirén – drums, percussion (11)
 * Lenny Castro – percussion (1-2, 9-10, 12)
 * Matt Kelly – steel guitar (12)
 * Jet Sanderson – additional vocals (10)

Additional personnel
 * Howard Benson – producer, organ (7-9)
 * Ted Jensen – mastering (Sterling Sound, Nashville, Tennessee)
 * Dan Lancaster – mixing engineer
 * Ted Bruner – composer, lyricist, programmer (1, 4, 6, 7, 12)
 * Mike Plotnikoff – recording engineer
 * Marc VanGool - guitar technician, assistant engineer
 * Hatch Inagaki – assistant engineer
 * Rhys May – assistant engineer
 * Paul DeCarli - editor
 * Darren Magierowski – additional production / engineer
 * Jill Zimmermann – additional production / engineer
 * Jay Wud – programming (8, 11)