Three Doors Down
Something can usually be said for a band that takes chances by making changes to its sound. But for the members of 3 Doors Down, all that can be said is they took a chance with their latest, Seventeen Days, an album which seems to reflect the time and effort put into it.
The Mississippi quartet still hasn’t decided which way to take its music. In Seventeen Days, the superboys attempt to get heavy on us, a departure from the sound that hooked us with “Kryptonite” from 2000, and then again in 2002 with the zippo-raising ballad “Here Without You.”
Musically, the effort is seamless. There are catchy riffs and progressions that will keep you listening until you realize you’ve heard half of them before — ahem, Creed. It’s a shame too, as the other part of the album is pretty solid and follows more in the footsteps of 2000’s The Better Life, the disc that put the band on the map. The somewhat edgy guitars seem out of place, as lead singer Brad Arnold sticks to many of the same lyrical themes that were present in previous 3 Doors Down lyric books.
The album lacks any true radio-friendly songs with the exception of the second track, “Let Me Go.” This is only surprising given the band’s seal of corporate rock. It doesn’t have enough pop to make for a mainstream hit and lacks the originality to draw the admiration of non-radio listeners.
“Landing in London,” the disc’s highlight, features a cameo from Bob Seger, boasting subtle strings and that familiar 3 Doors Down sound. “Never Will I Break” has Soundgarden-inspired guitars working under Arnold’s otherwise mediocre verses. But it’s tracks like “Behind Those Eyes,” “My World” and “The Real Life” that drag the disc down and reek a bit too much of Mark Tremonti.
Sure, Seventeen Days marks a new, more rockin’ sound for 3 Doors Down, but that doesn’t mean it rocks. Whatever they did in 2000 was working wonders for them. But with the absence of the creativity and originality that were characteristic of the group’s debut, the guys will be wishing they could turn back time and “Be Like That” again.
From the get-go, the album screams mediocrity with flashes of brilliance immediately followed by recycled garbage. To their credit, the members of 3 Doors Down have the potential to make something of themselves when they finally decide who they want to be.
