Home > Indianapolis Music > CD Review > Story of the Year, 'The Black Swan'

Backstory: These St. Louis modern rockers scored a big radio hit in 2003 with “Until the Day I Die,” but have been mostly silent for the past few years. On their third record, the group switches from a major to a punk indie (Epitaph), re-teams with first-album producer John Feldmann and soldiers on with their catchy, punk-leaning alt-rock.
 
Why you should care: Admittedly, SOTY is not one for originality. But for fans of screamo-lite bands like Lostprophets, pop-metallers Avenged Sevenfold or crossover artists like Linkin Park, this is for you! “Angel in the Swamp” and “We’re Not Gonna Make It” deftly mix thrash tempos, meaty guitar solos and big pop hooks. And hey, the band’s first real ballad, “Terrified,” will sound positively epic at prom.
 
Verdict: The sonic equivalent of (good) fast food. Or maybe they’re the Foreigner of their generation. Either way, it’s a compliment!
 
X-Factor: Most emo-influenced bands talk about their inadequacies in the face of girls. SOTY have taken that concept and up the angst a million-fold. A few of the tracks on “Black Swan,” most notably first single “Wake Up” and the spoken-word intermission “Pale Blue Dot,” take lyrical inspiration from Carl Sagan and man’s puniness in the grand scheme of the entire universe. "When you think about just how small the Earth really is and just how small the human race really is, our existence is almost insignificant,” says lead singer Dan Marsala.