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STORY OF THE YEAR
‘Tear Me To Pieces’
Album Review

(3rd March 2023)

Review by Kayla Hamilton

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Photo Credit: Ryan Phillips

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There is just something special when a band comes back. Especially when they release an album that is both fresh but true to the sound that people fell in love with them for. That is exactly what Story of the Year has done with their new album Tear Me to Pieces. Hitting the shelves (can we still say that?) early March (10th) – I write this with a warning: get ready to fall back in love Story of the Year.

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From the first track, the title track Tear Me to Pieces, that signature Story of the Year hits you so hard with a wave of nostalgia. You will feel like you are fifteen again, sitting cross-legged on your bed, scream-singing along. The only difference is there is an element of maturity- it’s that youthful angst redefined. This track flows seamlessly into the next track, Real Life, which keeps up with that melancholic but almost upbeat sound. It brings back that real singing-your-heart-out style of the emotional hardcore music of the early 2000s.

Many bands that hit their peak popularity in their early years feel tempted to sing about themes that are yet to grow up but lyrically Story of the Year doesn’t do this. In the track Afterglow, vocalist Dan Marsala sings about being a husband and a father, showing how the band has grown. The best bit of this track is that just has some tasty heaviness in all the right places.

Just like the next Dead and Gone, there are those perfect sing-along parts and lyrics that seem to just stick in your mind. If you do not have the lines ‘You’re the perfect afterglow’ or ‘This is the death of something beautiful’ in your head afterwards, I will be seriously surprised. These two tracks are the perfect marriage between old-school emotive hardcore and new-school metalcore with their heaviness and elements of digitisation. If you like your music heavy but catchy as hell, Dead and Gone will be your favourite track on the album- hands down.

Continuing that new wave, metalcore feel are the tracks War and Can’t Save You. There is a similarity to some of the newer Bring Me the Horizon releases, but one could argue that it is a circle of influence because even though there are similarities, this is still very much an updated Story of the Year. If War is the headbanging, sing-along track then Can’t Save You is the pit starter track. The way it kicks up just makes you want to move; it is impossible to keep still listening to it. If this is the direction the bands we “scenior citizens” used to listen to in our teens are heading- then they are going to be appealing to audiences for many years to come.

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Not going to lie, when I saw a track titled 2005, I was desperate to play it. As it started, a little tear formed in my eye. This is a song for the elder emos. Like many of us in Australia, 2005 would have been the first year seeing Story of the Year live- so the waves of nostalgia came crashing over. It really does capture the feeling of being a teen in that time and I can see it becoming an anthem for those who grew up with a Myspace Top 8.

If there is one thing that Story of the Year does well is their ability to really incorporate acoustic elements into their music. There is never any cheese, but it does feel like the kind of music you play in your headphones while you stare out the window on a rainy day. They did this with the absolute anthem that is Anthem of our Dying Day and they have done it again with the track Sorry About Me. The acoustic does come back in a later track, but we will get into that later. All I can say is stellar guitar work by Ryan Phillips.

Take The Ride, the next track does pull you out of that ‘in the feels’ feeling that Sorry About Me pulls you into. It is catchy, poppy and super fun. It shows the dynamic that Story of the Year has in their sound. It still has that hint of melancholy in it. This is the track you are putting in when you are driving after a bad day and just want to go to another place.

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You can’t finish the album without another heavy track, which is why Knives Out is so perfectly placed between the melancholy pop-punk Take the Ride and the intensely emotional Use Me. It has real set fire to the world and scream at the top of your lungs feel. Not in a teenage angst way that possibly a lot of us who are long-time listeners of Story of the Year are used to but in the growing up and realising life is not what you expected angry at the world kind of way. Trust me, you will hear it when you listen to it.

As mentioned previously, Story of the Year is the absolute master of making acoustic tracks just sound so heavy with emotion and intensity and Use Me is the evidence I would submit when making that claim. Something about Dan Marsala’s voice makes you feel every tiny little thing he is singing about. It drips into your ears and takes over your body, bringing you into the song.

Use Me track of the album and if you make it this far without shedding even a single tear- then this album isn’t for you. This one is for the mega fans, the old fans, the new fans and those who are yet to fall in love with Story of the Year. Before you see them at Knotfest in a few weeks, give this album a solid listen. That way you can enjoy their whole set and not be one of those cranky ‘play the old stuff’ people in the pit.

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Photo Credit: Ryan Phillips

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Follow STORY OF THE YEAR

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Press Release 23rd November 2022 (below)

STORY OF THE YEAR
share new single
TAKE THE RIDE

YOUTUBE | STREAMING

NEW ALBUM TEAR ME TO PIECES OUT MARCH 10

APPEARING AT KNOTFEST AUSTRALIA 2023

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Photo Credit: Ryan Phillips

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Story Of The Year have shared their newest single Take The Ride, out now via SharpTone Records. The band brings their trademark energy to the new song, complete with an undeniably catchy danceable rhythm and vocals, to leave both diehard fans and new listeners hitting repeat.

“In the end, Take the Ride is a song about surrendering to what life dealt you and embracing the chaos instead of fighting it,” shares guitarist Ryan Phillips. “The song captures the spirit of finding freedom through a reckless adventure, even if it’s internal.”

Fans can stream Take The Ride now HERE

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Story Of The Year recently announced their upcoming sixth studio album Tear Me To Pieces, out March 10, 2023 via SharpTone Records. The new album is distinctly, invitingly, loudly Story Of The Year. Heartache, desperation, motivation, toxic relationships, pain, loss, anger – all of the essential ingredients of the classic Story Of The Year sound propel Tear Me to Pieces in dazzling new ways. The new album features previously released singles Real Life and Tear Me To Pieces.

Fans can pre-save Tear Me To Pieces here.

“I think this album will be a defining moment in our career,” says Phillips. “When our fans hear it, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, shit, these dudes are ready to go!’ This is the sound of a band putting everything into it. If a new band came out with this album, I’d be texting everyone in my band about it.”

Story Of The Year’s debut album, Page Avenue, was one of the first of its kind to sell a million copies. Until the Day I Die endures as both an anthem and mission statement. Tours with Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, Deftones, and The Used cemented Story Of The Year’s reputation as a stunning and engaging live act. The connection between the band and audience transformed Story Of The Year from teenagers working in a St. Louis pizza chain franchise into hard rock headliners. Fans grew together with Dan Marsala, Ryan Philips, Josh Wills, and Adam Russell, from Page Avenue (2003), In the Wake of Determination (2005), The Black Swan (2008), The Constant (2010), to Wolves (2017). They specialize in intense, passionate, confessional compositions that inspire and empower. Songs like The Antidote, Real Life, Miracle, The Ghost of You and I, Anthem of Our Dying Day, and Take Me Back resonate with anyone.

Australian fans can catch Story Of The Year live in action next year as part of the inaugural Knotfest Australia in March 2023, with the band set to perform alongside Slipknot, Parkway Drive, Megadeth, Trivium, Northlane and many more.

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TEAR ME TO PIECES
Track Listing:

01. Tear Me To Pieces
02. Real Life
03. Afterglow
04. Dead And Gone
05. War
06. Can’t Save You
07. 2005
08. Sorry About Me
09. Take The Ride
10. Knives Out
11. Use Me

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KNOTFEST AUSTRALIA 2023

FEATURING

SLIPKNOT, PARKWAY DRIVE, MEGADETH, TRIVIUM
NORTHLANE, AMON AMARTH, IN FLAMES
KNOCKED LOOSE, SPIRITBOX, STORY OF THE YEAR
ALPHA WOLF, VOID OF VISION, BAD OMENS, MALEVOLENCE

TOUR DATES:

FRIDAY 24 MARCH 2023 – FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE, MELBOURNE
SATURDAY 25 MARCH 2023 – CENTENNIAL PARK, SYDNEY
SUNDAY 26 MARCH 2023 – RNA SHOWGROUNDS, BRISBANE

Tickets on sale now at KNOTFEST.COM/AUSTRALIA

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AMNPLIFY – DB