Story Of The Year set a bar in the American post-core scene in 2004 when their first album Page Avenue came onto the scene and ignited the nation with their high powered, anthemic ballads and furiously energetic live performances. I remember seeing them at a festival the year that album dropped and thinking to myself, “these guys should tour with Cirque du soleil.” The two albums that followed, however, did nothing for me. I was very disappointed because I felt they just lost their momentum. Maybe it was that they simply set the bar too high for themselves with Page Avenue that even they couldn’t live up to it’s standards. Either way, they are back with round four, titled The Constant; and when I was asked to review it, I was of course eager to hear if this was an album I could enjoy “until the day I die” (pun intended).

The album starts off with children singing in a song aptly named “The Children Sing,” believe it or not. This ballad for the troubled youth in America is basically Dan Marsala alongside a chorus of elementary children begging to us “don’t take this world away from me.” It has that Pink Floyd “teachers, leave us kids alone” feel to it with, of course, a Story Of The Year twist. It’s not a bad song but not a great starter song for the album, in my opinion. Seeing as first impressions last the longest, maybe they should have given us a little more bang.

The very beginning and breakdowns in track four “To The Burial” reminds me a lot of early Thrice which I loved. This song carries a dirtier style to the vocals and some nasty guitar work. The verses had a very heavy punk rock flow to them with a lot of fast rhythms and quick transitions. The chorus was by-the-book Story Of The Year – big and melodic – but the rest of the song had a more adapted sound which I found enticing. They really showed some range in this song which I liked.

It wouldn’t be Story Of The Year without some catchy ballads thrown in the mix; and that’s exactly what you get in track seven, “Holding On To You.” This song reminds me a lot of their single “Sidewalks” off of Page Avenue, and although it was nothing fancy, it was super catchy indeed. The piano work at the start and throughout really opens the song up, giving it a huge sound, while Dan’s harmonies tie it all together very nicely.

The very next song “Won Threw Ate” has a silly name but offers up a little more bang for your buck. They finally unleash their demons and drop back to their hardcore roots, hanging up the melody for a nice serving of monstrosity. Dan’s battle cry is deafening, while the guitar and drum work is captivatingly crass, unfiltered madness…and I love it! Give us more of this and we’ve got ourselves a party.

So how about their closer, you ask? Well, I will say this, at least they go out strong. The song itself wasn’t much to write home about, but it’s Story Of The Year at their best. They throw a little bit of everything they have into the song; and I will say it’s high energy and loud but a little shorter than I expected. It was over before I really had a chance to get into it.

That’s about it, ladies and gents. My overall opinion of The Constant was not so bad. I absolutely enjoyed it more than The Black Swan, but still I can’t say I was blown away. I love Story Of The Year and think they are a very talented group of individuals. But after a while, the anthemic chants for the politically frustrated youth of America runs its course and we want a little bit more out of these guys that they aren’t giving us. When it comes down to it, it’s just your typical Story Of The Year sound – chock full of huge choruses, big melodies, a foundation fueled by loud guitar-based instrumentation and precise rhythms…all topped off with Dan’s back and fourth of clean and dirty vocals which is why the world loves these guys. The Constant is definitely worth a spin, but I would try before you buy.

3.5/5