Posted: March 29th, 2008
Contributed By: Nick

	Purchase @ Amazon.com Release Date: April 1, 2008 via Roadrunner Records
	Theory of a Deadman is: Tyler Connolly (Vocals) Dave Brenner (Guitar) Dean Back (Bass)

Overview: Theory of a Deadman hails from Canada and began as a Chad Kroeger prodigy in the earlier part of the decade, latching on with his native 604 Records before the release of their debut. After the eponymous effort landed in Canadian retail outlets, Roadrunner Records seized the opportunity to release the album to the United States general public in September 2002. The band achieved a handful of lukewarm radio hits, including “Nothing Could Come Between Us” and “Make Up Your Mind” to name a few. Before tracking their sophomore album, Theory tabbed producer Howard Benson to helm the boards, with 2005’s ‘Gasoline‘ the resulting product. With the propulsion of songs like “No Surprise” and “Hello Lonely” up to the top of mainstream rock charts, the band toured extensively alongside Hinder, Staind, and Saliva among others. The ‘Gasoline‘ album cycle proved a complete success, so Theory of a Deadman were off to Santa Monica (pun points for me!) to begin laying the framework for their third full length. Enlisting Robin Diaz (ex-Trapt) to lay down drums and once again settling upon Benson’s production work, Theory of a Deadman patiently and meticulously tracked their latest opus, ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘, set to hit stores on April 1. Theory’s latest single “So Happy” is currently resting at number 3 on mainstream rock charts and the band has recently begun its touring cycle in support of the disc.

The Good: Theory of a Deadman’s debut portrayed a young band flexing its muscles. ‘Gasoline‘ proved the group was branching out, trying new approaches and exploring more melodies and harmonies than its predecessor. With ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘, Theory of a Deadman shows a band finely tuning its craft, zeroing in on the best traits from their previous works and fusing them with an obvious maturity to craft their most eclectic album yet. ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘ is efficient in its first two tracks, in that it bridges the gap from ‘Gasoline‘ to the new material and eases the listener in to the new album tastefully. The driving and ebullient lead single “So Happy” kick starts ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘, while the moody and Chris Daughtry aided “By the Way” gives one final shimmer into ‘Gasoline‘-era Theory before gently closing the book and allowing ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘ to completely captivate the senses. “Got it Made” is the ensuing cut, a pulsating and carefree slab of hooky and well-textured rock, which is followed by the first of many mid-tempo ballads on the album in “Not Meant to Be”; a preciously delicate and heartfelt affair, “Not Meant to Be” could be the song that pushes Theory of a Deadman into crossover territory. If “Not Meant to Be” fails to do so, then leave it to “All or Nothing” to try, as its poignant lyrics and attention to dynamics has all the makings of a possible pop smash. The ballad trinity reaches its apex with “Heaven (Little by Little)”, an impassioned and honest four minutes that serves as one of the band’s most complete works to date. ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘ returns to harder-hitting form with the glib “Bad Girlfriend”, a colorful song that while shameless in its approach, is an all-around fun and toe-tapping cut that makes this the album’s most guilty pleasure. The roaring and combative “Little Smirk” revives Theory of a Deadman’s sultry side with a palate pleasing taste of the country-western flavor that has been a definitive staple for the band in the past, while “End of the Summer” sees the trio throwing listeners their most pop-laden song whose dangerous hooks quickly grow on you, and prove Theory can fluently construct an all-around pop song without missing a beat. ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘ hits its most epic point with “Wait for Me”, a wedding ready, disco-ball suited trip that would make Lifehouse salivate and has potential to leave audiences teary-eyed when it’s all said and done. The album gallops into the sunset with “Sacrifice”, a better choice for the clincher than the gem “Wait for Me”, and sees front-man Tyler Connolly showing off some of his strongest vocal work. ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘ is the Theory of a Deadman everyone has known and grown to love over the years, but the band rolls the dice a bit with their latest offering, exposing their sensitive sides with complete and unadulterated success; in my opinion, this is the album that will help push Theory of a Deadman into the upper echelon of modern rock titans, as a number of their latest harmonious ballads could make waves at crossover radio stations.

The Bad: ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘ is its own double-edged sword in a sense. While the band has compiled an extraordinary list of sturdy, softer rock tunes, it makes some of the heavier moments on the album sound wispy, unintentionally burying some of the band’s primal energy in a blanket of melody and sensitivity. Often times, Theory of a Deadman’s “edge” on ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘ sounds quite forced and rigid, almost like the band intended on its lighter-raising romps to pick up the slack and plug the some of the record’s holes. ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘ is also one of the first times I feel the band threw in a couple “filler” tracks, as the easily misses of “Crutch” and “Hate My Life” pay testament; while some may disagree, the aforementioned songs seem to lack any direction and glorify two of Theory of a Deadman’s biggest detriments on the new album. The first has already been discussed, with the second ailment being the overly elementary lyrics that line so many of the songs. Although “Hate My Life” is the epitome of said statement, Mr. and Ms. Connolly’s lyrics (she helped co-write more than half of the album’s tracks) are often times are guilty of aping on the compositions of other songs on the record, unintentionally giving ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘ a cyclical and rehashed feel.

Bottomline: I want so badly to say that ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘ is the culmination of Theory of a Deadman’s three albums up to this point, but it would not be justified. After listening to the album front to back carefully multiple times, it becomes apparent that Theory of a Deadman have left some knots untied and chapters unwritten with ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘. Although the third installment of TOAD highlights a band focusing more on catchy blazes and pop sensations, ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘ lacks a sense of completeness that the band’s previous two efforts possessed, in my opinion. Giving credit where credit is most certainly due, ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘ is the most diverse, earnest, and emotion-laden album in the band’s catalogue, but at the same time Theory of a Deadman seem too hellbent on a formula and an agenda with this release: in essence, the band’s “scars” come across more like superficial trinkets, or better yet “souvenirs”. Nevertheless, ‘Scars & Souvenirs‘ is an album that is hard not to enjoy, because as “A-B-C, 1-2-3″ as the album is at times, the band still muster up enough soul and passion to make even the corniest tune feel exquisite. Although these “scars” aren’t too deep, the latest Theory of a Deadman album makes for one hell of a hooky, upbeat, and reflective modern rock “souvenir”.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10