Rock_On's Full Review: Page Avenue [PA] by Story Of The Year
Had I not been so nosey looking through promotional discs while I was working at a small record store in Indiana, who knows how much longer it would have taken for me to discover the band Story of the Year. The album that stood out the most to me in that pile of discs was their sophomore album In The Wake of Determination, which led me to spread my musical wings wider and check out their debut album, Page Avenue.
Story of the Year is five of the craziest mother f*ckers in the world:
Dan - Vocals
Ryan - Lead Guitar
Phillip - Rhythm Guitar, backing vocals
Adam - Bass
Josh - Drums
There are so many bands in the world that dwell on the topic of love and relationships. It's a powerful and essential subject in our lives, but you know that there are so many songs that you just don't give a f*ck about. Thankfully, Story of the Year is NOT one of those bands, as they have hard hitting and heavy songs of love and relationships that you don't only hear, but feel the music move you inside. Like the soaring chorus in the biggest single off the album Until The Day I Die; "until the day I die - I'll spill my heart for you". Those lyrics could be made fun of any other way, but instead Dan fills the song with life and emotion to care about. Then there's the relationship gone to sh*t in Burning Years with the line "from this house of our friendship, shut the door and light the match. Throw behind you, walk away. You burn it down. These ashes burn." Talk about a punch in the face, at least it's an alternate way of saying "hey b*tch, f*ck you!"
Story slows things down a bit with Swallow the Knife and Sidewalks. Dan has such a soothing melody in his voice for both songs, like in the intro to Swallow the Knife where he sings with a low track in the background "So our open wounds will bleed until our veins run dry, now we have to take this thorn and tear it from our side." Sidewalks is an ode to growing up and moving on, leaving your home town and come back some time later to see all the changes in the world you grew up in. The acoustic guitar is the prominent instrument backed by string arrangements and some world instrument drums, setting a very nostalgic atmosphere.
Apart from a couple of stringy arrangements in some songs, Page Avenue is pretty much a straight forward hard hitting album. Starting with fan and live show opener favorite And The Hero Will Drown, Ryan and Phillip build an exciting guitar intro before Dan comes in on vocals screaming "The night will come!..." to start the album off with an explosion. Providing the meat of the album, In The Shadows, Divide And Conquer, and Razorblades are all good for getting a room of sweaty dudes (and some girls) moshing together. Then there's the album closer Falling Down. It begins with Adam on bass in the intro before Josh comes in on drums followed by the rest of the band. Short, sweet, and fast - the perfect close to a great album.
Overall, Story of the Year quickly moved up the ranks as one of my favorite bands. After seeing them for the sixth time, they've also become my second favorite live band. Their shows are always so personal that even though the barrier and the stage separate them from the crowd, it feels like you're actually at the Creepy Crawl in St. Louis getting your shins crushed on the edge of the "stage." Page Avenue is one of those rare debut albums a band puts out that is consistently good and keeps you wanting more. For those who love rock and mixed screaming vocals that don't sound like every other screaming band out there, Page Avenue is for you.
Track List:
1. And The Hero Will Drown *
2. Until The Day I Die *
3. Anthem Of Our Dying Day
4. In The Shadows
5. Dive Right In
6. Swallow the Knife *
7. Burning Years
8. Page Avenue
9. Sidewalks *
10. Divide And Conquer
11. Razorblades
12. Falling Down *
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![Page Avenue [PA] by Story Of The Year](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/35/29/17/2006752134-177x150-0-0.jpg)
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