Customer Reviews

Gasoline

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'll admit, when I first heard Theory Of A Deadman, back in 2002, I instantly wrote them off as a Nickelback clone. Afterall, they kind of have that sound, and their first album was even produced by Nickelback's own Chad Kroeger. However, as I have learned many times before, passing judgment so quickly on a band is hardly ever a good idea. If it wasn't for the fact that I'll be seeing these guys open for Staind in a few weeks, I probably wouldn't have checked out this album. However, I gave Theory Of A Deadman (or T.O.A.D.) a second chance and recently picked up their sophmore album, "Gasoline." I have to say, I was quite surprised by what was inside...

While it is true that T.O.A.D. may not re-invent the genre or bring anything entirely new to the table, what they do offer is a solid, healthy dosage of modern rock. Their sound is one that you are used to if you are familiar with radio-rock, but that's not a bad thing, as these guys do this style better than a lot of bigger bands out there (not naming names). Not only does vocalist/guitarist Tyler Connelly have a smooth, strong and disctinctive voice, but the guitar playing between him and co-guitarist David Brenner is a notch above what is usually heard in this type of music. As for the songs, Connelly pretty much writes the perfect breaking-up/being dumped songs. The first single, "No Surprise" is a perfect middle-finger to those that like to tease, while semi-acoustic tracks like "Hello Lonely (Walk Away From This)" and "Since You've Been Gone" could easily be the next big hits, despite their tendency to get a bit predictable. However, to counteract the few cheesy songs ("Hell Just Ain't The Same," ""Me And My Girl"), T.O.A.D. delivers some damn fine hard rock material in "Hating Hollywood," "Save The Best For Last" and "Better Off."

"Gasoline" is, overall, a solid listen. It's a good album to take with you on a long drive, as just about every song has something memorable going for it. If you like, or can even tolerate modern-rock, you should really give these guys a chance. They definitely deserve the fame that lesser groups have gained, as they seem quite accomplished in both musicianship and songwriting. No, on the surface, they may not seem special, but I think any rock fan can find something to appreciate with "Gasoline," or even their self-titled debut.

If you like your Theory of a Deadman uncut, this import version is the one you want.

Roadrunner, the label that released the album in the US, chose to release only an edited version; 604 Records, the label that distributed Gasoline to the rest of the world, chose to release only the uncensored.

I have bought 2 CDs in my life (quite an accomplishment for a starving university kid), and both CDs are by Theory of a Deadman. I bought this CD as soon as it came out, and I was a bit disappointed. Not to say this isn't good, it is a rocking and extremely awesome CD, but the first one was just too damn good.

In contrast to the last CD, this one feels more personal. TOAD has broadened their music style and the music is definitely heavier than the last CD. The guitar is also better on this record.

Here is a review of all the tracks, and I don't give out 10s, because I think nothing is perfect (maybe a bit cynical for a 18 year old). So 9.5 is the "perfect" score.

1. Hating Hollywood: A good start to the album and great rock riffs. The opening riff is addictive. 8.5/10

2. No Way Out: A hard rocking song and has a fast pace. The song gets better as it goes along. 8/10

3. No Surprises: The first single from the CD. When I first heard it, it was a pleasant surprise. It is a good song and gets even better after listening to it more. This is a song written before TOAD became famous (I remember hearing this on the CFOX), so it is nice to get a glimpse of the style before they got famous. Good lyrics too. 9/10

4. Quiver: A good rock song. Not much to say about it other than it is fast and some strong lyrics for TOAD. 8/10

5. Santa Monica: A change of pace from the previous songs. The only song to contain the name of the album "gasoline". Very good chorus. Reminds me of "Make up Your Mind", with a melancholy tone that is prevalent through out the album. 9/10

6. Better Off: Faster than the previous track. Reminds me of a mix of "Leg to Stand On" and "What You Deserve" from the last CD.

7. Say Goodbye: Excellent. Feels like a mix of "The Last Song" and "Say I'm Sorry", but it's a totally different song. Wonderful acoustic guitar at first and awesome lyrics. 9.5/10

8. Hello Lonely: Not sure if it's a coincidence, but the best tracks in both TOAD albums are songs 7 and 8. A soft acoustic start to the song, and a smooth transition through out the song. The pre-chorus is the best part of this song. I also love the lyrics. The lyrics in the last and this song epitomizes the tone throughout the album. Another "perfect" score. 9.5/10

9. Me and My Girl: Another awesome song. This one is faster than the last two songs. There is a nice twist in the lyrics. I also like the background guitar riffs, and the banjo-sounding part is great. 9.5/10

10. Since You've Been Gone: A mellow song, and has a popish feel to it. An easy song to play in that it is mostly chord strumming. 8.5/10

11. Hell just Ain't the Same: The only song written by Tyler Connolly. Not a song in that it is only about a minute long. Has a southern feel to it. 8/10

12. Save the Best for Last: Judging the title, it should be the last song of the album (same thing for "The Last Song"). A fast song and a lot of riffs. 8/10

13. In the Middle: A soft and slower song with an acoustic start, similar to "Since You've Been Gone". 8.5/10

There you go, my first review of any sort. I haven't wrote this much since the last English 112 essay. Give yourself a hand for reading this much. Overall it is an awesome album, and that "disappointed" thing at the beginning of this review is just my initial personal view. I give "Gasoline" an outstanding 9/10, and it is an album definitely worth picking (plus it's cheaper than others).

This is the second album from Theory of a Deadman, a Canadian rock band with a large following that includes video game and wrestling fans as well as rock music lovers everywhere. Their popularity has led to two nominations for Juno Awards in April 2006, for "Group of the Year" and "Rock Album of the Year".

There are several buzz-worthy tracks on this album, my favorite being "Santa Monica", which is the track chosen for the Juno Awards 2006 CD. Others are first single "No Surprise"; "Hello Lonely (Walk Away From This)"; "Better Off" and "Say Goodbye". The other tracks are mostly your standard rock fare with lots of guitars and drums, but good listening of you're in the mood to rock.


Amanda Richards, March 21, 2006

Okay, so I understand some of the similarities between Theory of a Deadman and Nickelback (Chad Kroeger of Nickelback was responsible for discovering the band). They both are rock bands and they are both from Canada... other than that though, I find them to be different breads. While Nickelback is more of a mainstream hard rock band, Theory of a Deadman is more raw and real. "Gasoline" shows a great mix of head knockers and ballads.

I saw this band at Edgefest in Dallas on a side stage and was blown away by their power. The guitar riffs and lyrics are full of feeling, and unlike many hard rock bands, you can understand what this band is saying. I find that while of course the rhythm and beat is important to music, that the lyrics give the song meaning. That's why I always have a hard time liking bands where I can't understand the lyrics, although System of a Down is an exception. I don't really understand what they are saying, but their anger comes in how rapidly fast they say their lyrics and how they yell them with almost a growl.

So onto what my favorite songs are... the whole album is pretty solid, but my three favorite cuts are "No Surprise," "Say Goodbye," and the ballad "Hello Lonely." While the first two are hard rocking songs, "Hello Lonely" is more of a ballad, but yet has a medium rock tone to it. The beat and lyrics make you feel the loneliness that Tyler Connolly is expressing in the song. I love listening to it whenever I'm down.

"Gasoline" is the second album by this band, and it has received much more radio play time and mainstream status than their initial self-titled album. It's hard these days to find good rock that is raw, real, and that you can jam to. "Gasoline" shows that bands are very much alive in the fledging genre, including Theory of a Deadman.

TOAD's 2nd album, Gasoline, is in my mind 50x better than the first one. the debut album was awsome too, but with Gasoline, Tyler, Dave, and Dean (Tim Hart, the drummer quit) experiment with different tunings, melodic riffs of both crunchy rock and hard southern rock. Not only that, but there are more solos in this album.

Their influences come from early 90's hard rock, most noticeably, Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots....although i really dont think they sound like PJ. And everyone compares them to Nickleback which i hate because TOAD is way far more better and diverse, although both bands have similar influences.

I think the band took their own way with this album, not sounding like Nickleback, but i compare this to STP's "Purple" in the fact that both Gasoline and Purple have that southern rock flair to it along with some melodies. STP's "kitchenware and candybars" is the equivalent to "Santa Monica" or "Since youve been gone" and "meatplow" is the equivalent to "quiver".

1. Hating Hollywood-10/10: great way to start off the album, very STPish, probably my favorite song along with Save the Best for Last

2. No way out-9/10: excellent solo....thats all i have to say, and verrry catcy

3. No suprise-7/10: for all the other great songs on the album, this shouldnt have been the first single, but catchy verse

4. Quiver-10/10: very heavy and awsome lyrics, tyler sings angrily...you could definitely confuse this with STP

5. Santa Monica-9/10: just awsome....very powerful ballad....just powerful

6. Better Off-8/10: very catchy....great lyrics, very uptempo

7. Say Goodbye 7/10: similar to "say im sorry", could have fit well on first album, proves that tyler is good at writing breakup songs

8. Hello Lonely-8/10: tyler's vocals range a little higher in this song, with an excellent chorus

9. Me and My girl-8/10: love the intro...very powerful and in your face

10.Since you've been gone-10/10: i should give this an 11, my favorite non-heavy song on the album. this is a song for on the road, driving in the desert in the middle of nowhere. this song gives you that feeling.

11.Hell just aint the same-9/10: great filler song, very country, but its awsome. play it on your front porch.

12. Save the best for last-10/10: probably my favorite song along with Hating Hollywood. crazy guitar slide in the begining, excellent lyrics, excellent chours, excellent everything.

13. In the middle-6/10: This song is okay but i dont think its as good as any other song on the cd. this song should definitely not be at the end, but for what its about, it is just.

BUY THIS ALBUM!!!!(especially if you are going on a road trip)

...and buy some Stone Temple Pilots!

Normally I hate to unjustly compare two bands, because I can think of nothing more irritating then to be pigeon held by what my predecessor has done. However, with that said, Theory of a deadman is to similar to Nickelback to be ignored. If you don't like the sound of Nickelback, then this album isn't for you, plain and simple. Every song has the same formulaic construction that Nickelback has made it's calling card. What is nice about this album is Tyler's voice has a bit more edge then Chad's. This album is very listenable, with very catchy hooks. I still have to give the edge to the self titled album, simply for the fact that this album does not have any of the definite singles that the first one had. There just isn't any topping "leg to stand on" or "Invisible man". If you are just learning about this band for the first time, I think I would recommend the first album over this one just because it's cheaper. I'm not sure whether or not it deserves the five star rating I gave it, there is nothing superior here, it's just so damn catchy it's hard to give it anything less. Thank you for your time.

You're probably asking, "why is a metalhead reviewing this?" Yes, I am a metalhead, but that doesn't mean I can't like a few rock bands. I just wanted to review it simply because like other reviewers, I'm wondering why there's no explicit version for this? It's just a couple of words, what's the point of it? The band's first album has the PA logo (that's Parental Advisory if you didn't know), but it's mainly for 1 song. You listen to their new album (which also has the PA logo), you're actually gonna hear a couple of songs that warrant the PA. In a way, I feel cheated, but not really. I usually pay attention to things like this before I buy music, but in this case, it couldn't be avoided. Hopefully, if you're somebody like me, you'll find out about it by reading online rather than buying it first and finding out the hard way. I almost cringe a little bit when I listen to No Surprise as Tyler sings "That all this lying gets to me, and no one seems to give a....(insert expletive here....without actually hearing it that is). If somebody can give a more clarified explanation as to why Roadrunner decided on doing this, it would be greatly appreciated. As far as the music, it's great. Their debut is also great, but Gasoline is a big step. The song writing has definitely gotten better, their first album seemed kinda rushed. Kinda flawed, but not extremely. This is my favorite that they've done so far. Also check out Scars & Souvenirs if you like this album.

If you have been listening to any rock stations as of late, you would have had the pleasure of listening to a band that has totally reintroduced themselves. I'm talking about the band Theory of a Deadman. They just released their second album Gasoline this April. It has been a three-year drought since their first album Theory. Why has there been a dry spell for this band? When the band first came out onto the scene, they released their first single "Nothing Could Come Between Us" which sounded like a song that should have been sung by the band Nickelback. So everyone listening to the radio thought that it was Nickelback even though it wasn't. So it seemed like Theory of a Deadman didn't become as popular as they would have wanted. So what kept the band from dropping off of the charts completely? Their love for music and their want to supply the world's youth with meaningful music, probably kept them going. It was also the three-band members ability to write songs about how people have to put up with love and the pain it can cause everyday. The first album only had a few songs that would fit that bill. So they figured that since those songs became decent hits, they would make the whole next album about the hurt that love can cause. So they released a CD jam packed with thirteen tracks, hopefully launching them into super stardom. Then that great day in April of this year they released their first single "No Surprise" and that was just it. The song became a smash hit. They would no longer be the opening show but the headliner. Starting mid summer they went on a huge tour with Submersed, which launched them further into super stardom. This band is becoming loved by more and more because of their wide variety of music playing and they use lyrics that mean something to them. Not to mention, just about every person on the planet can relate to the pain a broken heart can cause. Lead singer Tyler Connolly does an excellent job of making you believe that he is singing about you with great lyrics and he does it with a distinct voice that resembles the great voices of Scott Stepp of Creed and David Draemon of Disturbed. Most people have to deal with heartbreak and these three men of Theory of a Deadman do an awesome job of putting feelings you would have, into words. Not only is this CD great because of it's powerful lyrics, but because the band uses different tempos in the songs to keep you on your toes. You can go from the heavy hitting guitar riffs in "Hating Hollywood" and "Say Goodbye" to the tear jerking rhythm of " Since You've Been Gone," "Santa Monica," and "In The Middle". Not to mention you can get your adrenaline rushing with their blood rushing single "No Surprise". I feel this disk has a plethora of lyrical greatness and melody that can make you happy and cry in the same disk. Hopefully we will be hearing new stuff from them in the future. Until then grab yourself a copy of Gasoline and listen to the next Beatles caliber band, because they get two thumbs way up.

To start, if anyone is unsure of whether to purchase this album or not, you can listen to each full song on mp3.com.

This cd is amazing, one of the best I own. Many people compare their sound to Nickelback, but in my opinion, Theory is much more talented. All of the songs are high-quality and have the chance to be a hit.

1. Hating Hollywood- Really good song and a great way to start off the album. 10/10
2. No Way Out- Good song, not one of my favorites, but it fits well. 8/10
3. No Surprise- The first single off of the album, and the song that turned me onto this album. Very good song, well deserving of the first hit. 10/10
4. Quiver- This song has been stuck in my head since the first time I heard it. 10/10
5. Santa Monica- Another one of the singles off the cd. Not one of my personal favorites, but it still is a good song. 8.5/10
6. Better Off- Very fast-paced, solid song. 10/10
7. Say Goodbye- This song has slow verses and a fast chorus, which combine to form one of my favorite songs. 10/10
8. Hello Lonely- A slow song, doesn't really do it for me. 8/10
9. Me and My Girl- Fast paced verses and a heavy chorus form a great song here. 9/10
10. Since You've Been Gone- Another slow song, I'm not a huge fan of this song. 8/10
11. Hell Just Ain't the Same- Sort of weird song, different than all of the other songs thay Theory sings. Very short, only like a minute long. 7.5/10
12. Save the Best For Last- Very catchy chorus on this song, if this was the final song, it would have closed the cd on a great song. My other favorite. 10/10
13. The Middle- Not a great closer, I would have preferred to see Save the Best For Last close this cd. 8/10

All in all, this is an incredible cd. Theory of a Deadman is a very talented band and have produced a great rock album. All fans of rock music should purchase this cd.