3 Doors Down plays more than just Kryptonite
Chris Scott
Scene Music Editor
Listening to the radio for even a brief second this summer allowed for the inevitable possibility of hearing many of the new sounds traveling over the airwaves. One of the most popular of these new sounds was that of the band 3 Doors Down and their freshman project, The Better Life.
ÒKryptonite,Ó the first single off the album, was almost an instant hit, cruising to the top of the charts in only a few months. But listening only to what was played over the radio is a stark denial of the true repertoire of a hot new band in the world of rock nÕ roll.
3 Doors Down hails from Escatawpa, MS and is composed of singer Brad Arnold, rhythm/lead guitarists Matt Roberts and Chris Henderson, bass guitarist Todd Harrell and drummer Richard Lyles, a recent addition to the band.
The group started out as a local sensation, but when radio station WCPR in nearby Biloxi started receiving phone call after phone call requesting the 3 Doors Down song ÒKryptonite,Ó it was not long before locals began to realize that the group was more than just an average garage band. Prompted by the local airplay of their songs and the huge attendance at their shows, 3 Doors Down was signed by Republic/Universal Records.
Arnold, Harrell and Roberts started the group in 1997 and it was during this time that the band found their name. After completing a gig in Alabama, they walked out and noticed the incomplete name of a building saying ÔDoors Down.Õ Since the band members numbered three at the time, the name Ô3 Doors DownÕ was developed. Within a year, they gained the talents of Henderson who was added to reinforce their sound. The original drummer for the band was actually Arnold, but after signing the record deal, Lyles was added so that Arnold could concentrate on vocals. Senior member Todd Harrell explains the groupÕs sound best, ÒItÕs a rock ÔnÕ roll band, straight up,Ó Harrell explains. ÒItÕs not really alternative or metal or anything Ñ itÕs rock ÔnÕ roll.Ó
The album starts out with the successful pop/rock chart ÒKryptoniteÓ and moves on to the slightly slower-paced track ÒLoserÓ The lyrics of this song relate the story of a relationship gone wrong in which the singer is convinced that he is worth nothing. It is this that is pushing him, ÒÉclose to lifeÕs little edge.Ó This song is already going to be 3 Doors DownÕs second single release and is a more mellow song contradicting the upbeat rhythms of the first track. Next on the album are the songs ÒDuck and RunÓ and ÒNot EnoughÓ which both deal with the issue of facing down adversity, as Arnold unfolds his own emotional struggles through his lyrics, ÒThe world may turn me down, I wonÕt turn away.Ó Both of these songs have great rock beats and harmonic chorus lines. The sentimental song ÒBe Like ThatÓ details the dreams of a young man desiring to be the man he sees on the big screen, and the dreams of a young girl who desires to have a place to call home. The lyrics of this song are great and complemented with a wonderfully slow and rhythmic beat that will most assuredly make this another successful hit for the group. The lyrics of the medium-paced ÒLife of My OwnÓ details a manÕs desire to live on his own and make his own choices. The song starts out with a medium rock beat, but quickly jumps into a heavier tone as it passes into the chorus.
The more intense, ÒBetter Life,Ó ÒDown PoisonÓ and ÒBy My SideÓ confront issues of drug use. These songs embody a more traditional hard-rock style with heavier beats and rhythms. The song ÒSmack,Ó while continuing the same hard-rock feel, is the antithesis of the prior three songsÕ theme of the stupidity involved with drug-use. The hard rock feel then continues through the end of the album with the final track ÒSo I Need You.Ó This song, however, seems to be a love song that unfortunately happened to get stuck with the wrong music, as the lyrics most represent the sound of a ballad. The track is still a respectable track however.
The Better Life is an extremely good hard rock album with some great traditional rock ÕnÕ roll beats. In addition to this is very impressive lyric-writing, all done by the band itself. For true rock enthusiasts, The Better Life would a great addition to any collection. However, for the average radio listener, though the album starts out with a lot of promise driven by some definite chart-toppings songs, the much more intense second half of the album could be a little intimidating. Infact, the final string of songs, with such a more definite hard rock feel, and nearly the exact same pace could almost be mistaken for the same song, but for those listeners who enjoy a good rock band, 3 Doors Down can definitely be considered one of the best newcomers of the year.
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, August 29, 2000
