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Theory Of A Deadman
An unknown musician gives his band's demo to the frontman of a major group. The singer actually listens to the demo and signs the band to his label. It's a great story but it almost never happens. But when it does...
Theory Of A Deadman vocalist Tyler Connolly gave Nickelback's Chad Kroeger a demo at an after-show party.
The next stop was Kroeger's 604 label where the British Columbia based group released their self-titled debut in '02. The group's name originated from "The Last Song," which appeared on the album. Connolly composed the tune years earlier about a man who wrote his memoirs before committing suicide.
Of the four songs released from the set, two "Nothing Could Come Between Us" and "Make Up Your Mind" made a significant impact.
Kroeger and Salvia's Josey Scott, performed the song "Hero" with Connolly playing lead guitar for the first Spider-Man movie. Connolly's involvement in a major hit drew additional attention. Theory Of A Deadman were named New Group of the Year at the '03 Juno Awards.
March, '05 saw the release of "Gasoline" with the single "No Surprise." The group headed out opening for Breaking Benjamin and The Exies. Later that year, the Fahrenheit video game used four "Gasoline" songs on its soundtrack; "Santa Monica" (with Nickelback's Daniel Adair on drums), "No Surprise," "Say Goodbye" and "No Way Out." The last track was also the theme for World Wrestling Entertainment's No Way Out '06 pay-per-view event. A couple other Theory Of A Deadman songs were used in WWE promotions.
Theory Of A Deadman released their third studio album, "Scars & Souvenirs," in '08. Connolly was quoted saying he tried to keep the lyrics simple. "You've got to understand that you're speaking to an audience that isn't songwriters," said the singer. "They don't understand all the metaphors, but if you say, 'I feel like s**t,' they say, 'I feel like s**t, too'."
The band recorded "Head Above Water," a song co-written by The Exies' Scott Stevens, for the "Transformers: Dark Of The Moon" soundtrack which came out just days before the film was in theaters (06/24/11).
And just a few weeks later "The Truth Is. . .," a Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, 3 Doors Down) production, dropped. Again, Connolly discussed his lyrics. "When I write, I either want to kiss someone on the lips or punch them in the face. Anything in between is boring." "Lowlife" was the first single, followed by "Out Of My Head." But it was the track "Bitch Came Back" (actually based on the children's song, "The Cat Came Back") that rattled windows and best illustrated Connolly's point. Rarely has a song been that venomous while still being incredibly catchy.
Studio Albums:
2002 Theory Of A Deadman
2005 Gasoline 2002
2008 Scars & Souvenirs
2011 The Truth Is. . .
With a name like Theory Of A Deadman you'd expect Rob Zombie fronting Nine Inch Nails. They're not that. With Kroeger contributing his songwriting expertise, Theory Of A Deadman's debut features dense, mid-tempo tracks ("Make Up Your Mind" and "Point To Prove") with the occasional tough ballad ("Nothing Could Come Between Us) or acoustic number. There are a couple good riff Rockers in "What You Deserve" and "Any Other Way." The standouts though are the opening track "Invisible Man" and the mid-tempo "Say I'm Sorry."
In something of a surprise move, Theory Of A Deadman's sophomore set "Gasoline" Rocks harder and is mellower than their debut. They are better at pushing the extremes.
The boy/girl - break-up dynamic gets a work out on "Santa Monica" ("left for Santa Monica") and "Me & My Girl" ('things are all f*cked up"). But things get a good shaking with the burning "No Way Out," the rumbling "No Surprise" and the set-stopping "Better Off." At the other end of the spectrum, "Since You've Been Gone" is a melodic power-pop ballad (with that title how could it not be?). The weighty "Say Goodbye," "Hello Lonely (Walk Away From This)" and "Save The Best For Last" proves that Theory Of A Deadman can deliver strong arrangements to accent their emotive ballads. Just to throw a curve, the band even indulges in a couple Country ventures with "Hell Just Ain't The Same" ('w/o you babe') and closer "In The Middle."
"Scars & Souvenirs" touches all the bases: angst ("Hate My Life"), destructive relationships ("Bad Girlfriend" and "Little Smirk") and escapism ("Got It Made").
They try a little too hard on "Crutch," an OK Nu Metal run, but immediately bounce back with a killer acoustic track "All Or Nothing. "By The Way" is tough ballad riding Connolly's intimate vocals. But it's the uptempo stuff that really puts the set across. "Got It Made" is a cooker that's "headed for the interstate" and rolls, "Bad Girlfriend" has a smokin' guitar and "Little Smirk" is just flat-out great (dysfunctional relationship always make for the best songs). And let's not forget "So Happy" and "Sacrifice."
"The Truth Is. . ." could be titled "Theory Of A Bitter Man." Connolly's lyrics are in "punch in the face" mode and rarely let up. OK, a woman treats you badly, kicks you to the curb - write a song about it. But Connolly goes overboard. You can't fault him for hurting but the blame goes to band members and especially Benson, the producer. Somebody should have pulled Connelly aside and said, "Tyler, three bad-ass break-up songs ("Bitch Came Back" and two others) are enough for one album - we don't need seven."