ART OF DYING’S NEW CD “VICES AND VIRTUES” IS A MUST HAVE!
To be honest, there aren’t too many CDs I can listen to in their entirety and enjoy every song. But with Art Of Dying’s new CD “Vices And Virtues”, I can listen to Track 1 through Track 11 and then listen to it all over again.
And that’s precisely what I have done over the past few days…
“Vices And Virtues” officially drops tomorrow, March 22nd and if you get on over to Art Of Dying’s Facebook page, you can probably still catch the CD streaming in its entirety.
Jonny Hetherington (vocals), Greg Bradley (guitar), Tavis Stanley (guitar), Cale Gontier (bass), and Jeff Brown (drums) have a “five out five stars” CD on their hands. Congratulations to Art Of Dying!
It’s always been about “when” the Vancouver based alternative rock band would truly step into their own, not “if”. They have just way too much talent and perseverance. Art Of Dying’s first single “Die Trying” is a testament to that belief. The song says “If it takes forever, I will die trying…”
Other hard hitting songs on “Vices And Virtues” are “Whole World’s Crazy”, “Straight Across My Mind”, You Don’t Know Me”, and “Get Thru This”. The slower melodic songs are “I Will Be There”, “Best I Can”, and “Breathe Again”. And rounding out the tracks and creating a well balanced CD are “Sorry”, “Completely”, and “Raining”. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Hold the phone… You may be thinking to yourself “Almost half the songs were on the previous Art Of Dying CD right?
Well, yes, AND NO…
I was a little skeptical at first to be totally honest. Yes I said that out loud, but don’t freak out or anything. I know Art Of Dying is a solid band, but I was worried that since I already owned their first CD, would I still want to get the new CD since many of the songs that were on that one were now on the new CD too… I liked the songs before and I just wondered if they would be “just rehashed” or something… (I know that’s a terrible thought. I KNOW THIS.)
But THANKFULLY they weren’t. They aren’t. Truth be told, I cannot wait to add “Vices And Virtues” to my CD collection when it drops on Tuesday.
Art Of Dying has grown. Since their self titled CD debuted in 2006, Hetherington and the crew have matured. The lineup has stabilized into a band of brothers. They have shared the road with some of the top names in the business… One band in particular (Disturbed) has two members who created a record label (Reprise Records/Intoxication Records with Warner Brothers) that brought Art Of Dying to the next level. And with a top notch producer (Howard Benson), the band has now stepped into their own.
The older songs have gotten tighter and stronger. And the new ones seriously kick some ass. There is not a bad song on this CD. The rock ballads are beautiful, the heavier sounds are power houses and overall, each song is memorable in its own right.
The CD does not seem to have been recorded with the mindset of typical commercial radio… (Will this be a hit? How about this one?) No, it’s more like it was recorded for the people. I am glad that the first single is climbing up the charts (At press time it’s #21 on the Active Rock database). I am also glad that Art Of Dying is performing on the Avalanche Tour (It kicks off on Friday). They totally deserve all of the mainstream success. But what still plays over in my mind is the previous interview we had with Jonny Hetherington and he specifically said this about the song “Best I Can”…
“We recorded a song (called “Best I Can”) that is pretty special for me. I can’t wait for you and the world to hear that one”.
Hetherington had the people in mind. Truly it’s obvious that the whole band had the people in mind when recording the music.
Hey Art Of Dying – We the people thank you!
Show your support and demand Art Of Dying on your local radio station. Check out Art Of Dying on Facebook. Purchase the CD. You can also sign up for their newsletter, join the “DieHards” street team and keep up to date on tour information on their website.
