Story Of The Year ‘A.R.S.O.N.’
Friday the 13th, a little bit of A.R.S.O.N. and Story Of The Year. A combustible mixture and the bands new album drops, fanning those flames that burned so brightly on Tear Me To Pieces.
For A.R.S.O.N., or All Rage, Still Only Numb continues on their introspective nature of toxic relationships, the cognitive dissonance, the juxtaposition of emotions and it’s all wrapped up in beautifully tasting, and sounding, songs.
Last album dealt with the realisation of what being in a toxic relationship is like, this one is the fight, the trauma bond, to break away despite already being free. With that, the band bring more venom to their tracks than ever before.
Opener Gasoline (All Rage, Still Only Numb) is literal fire. The chorus explaining exactly what’s going on, is arguably one the bands most volatile tracks ever as the bands metal roots explode in a sonic explosion of fury.
This disillusionment continues into Disconnected with huge guitars, melodies and lyrics of ‘I would die a million times to feel they way I did’ Singer Dan Marsala vocals really land, the band are rapid and locked in. Nothing is overdone, it just hits the red button.
Every song isn’t torn between the battles of the mind played out by one of the scenes most talented bands. Some of the tracks do hark back to the bands catchy pop punk roots.
See Through will be a fan favourite of pop punk goodness and Fail Away, which lands a selection of rap rhythms into a nice softness of a chorus.
That all leads to the epic, and I don’t use that lightly, of 3am. A song that is the musical equivalent of going up to a buffet and choosing all your fave food and dessert and putting it onto the same plate. Pop punk, head bobbing grooves, a really cool drum rhythm and so many dynamics than I cannot think of the right idiom to use.
Into The Dark has a huge chorus that is almost gospel next to the verses of hurt, My Religion is an emotional rollercoaster over a dance beat. Marsala screams ‘I hate this feeling now’, his voice close to breaking and the bridge is razor sharp.
Halos is a rapid punk swing of a track with a chorus you’ll sing next time your partner pisses you off but you still miss them.
As we run into the end of the album, those bonds of that failed relationship reappear with a vengeance. Good For Me Feel So Bad has distinctive heavy groove that feeds the emotion while the acoustic, and entirely gut wrenching, Better Than High hits a nerve with Even if there’s no God, there’s still a point to love.’
Finishing with I Don’t Want To Feel Like This Anymore, its big vocal melody, wailing chorus and really tidy bridge, it is too much to ask the band to continue feeling this one wonders? For the story telling, the emotion, the sonic magic and the sensations felt throughout the album, it does set a fire inside. Who need gasoline when you have this album?
Album Review By Iain McCallum
Story Of The Year release their eighth studio album release, A.R.S.O.N., out everywhere February 13, 2026 via SharpTone Records.
