The Constant (Story of the Year album)

The Constant
Studio album by
Story of the Year
ReleasedFebruary 16, 2010 (2010-02-16)
RecordedMid 2009
StudioBarbarosa, Bavon, Virginia
Genre
Length41:42
LabelEpitaph
ProducerMichael "Elvis" Baskette
Story of the Year chronology
The Black Swan
(2008) 		The Constant
(2010) 		Wolves
(2017)
Singles from The Constant
  1. "To the Burial"
    Released: December 7, 2009
  2. "I'm Alive"
    Released: January 1, 2010
  3. "The Dream Is Over"
    Released: August 2010

The Constant is the fourth studio album by American rock band Story of the Year. It was released on February 16, 2010, through Epitaph Records and, like the band's previous record, was produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette who has also produced albums by Alter Bridge, Chevelle, Escape the Fate, blessthefall, Fact, and A Change of Pace. This was the last studio album to feature bassist Adam Russell who left the band in 2014.[1] Russell would rejoin the band in 2018.

Background and recording

In May 2009, guitarist Ryan Phillips revealed that the band were in the writing process for their next album.[2]

The Constant was recorded at Studio Barbarosa in Bavon, Virginia, with producer Michael Baskette and engineer Dave Holdredge. Jef Mall did digital editing, while Casey White acted as studio assistant. Baskette and Holdredge mixed the recordings, which were then mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound.[3]

Composition

Frontman Dan Marsala explained that the album title symbolizes the band's work ethic and commitment to both themselves and their fans. "Music is the constant thing in life for us," he said. "When I go to bed I think about music and when I wake up it's the first thing on my mind. The Constant can mean anything; hopefully our band will go on forever and we want music to remain a constant thing in our lives no matter what."[4]

Release

In November and December 2009, the band went on a US tour with the Devil Wears Prada, All That Remains and Haste the Day.[5] "To the Burial" was posted on the band's Myspace profile on December 7, 2009.[6] On December 10, Russell and Phillips premiered "I'm Alive" from the album on the Point radio station. The band released "I'm Alive" as a single on January 1, 2010.[7] On January 6, 2010, The Constant was announced for release the following month; alongside this, its artwork and track listing were posted online.[8] "I'm Alive" was released to alternative radio on February 2.[9] The Constant was made available for streaming on Myspace on February 10, 2010, before it was released on February 16, 2010 through Epitaph Records. It was promoted with a tour of the Southern US states in March and April 2010; the trek included an appearance at the Extreme Thing festival.[10][11]

On August 9, 2010, the band announced that the next single off the record will be "The Dream Is Over".[citation needed] In late September and early October 2011, the band toured Australia as part of the Soundwave Counter-Revolution festival.[12]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic65/100[13]
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk73%[14]
AllMusic[15]
Exclaim!Unfavorable[16]
Melodic [17]
Ox-Fanzine[18]
Punknews.org[19]
Rock Hard8/10[20]
Rock Sound[21]
Sputnikmusic3.5/5[22]
Ultimate Guitar7/10[23]

The album debuted at #42 on the Billboard 200 charts with sales of 14,115.[24]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Dan Marsala and Adam Russell, all music composed by Story of the Year.

No.TitleLength
1."The Children Sing"4:07
2."The Ghost of You and I"3:55
3."I'm Alive"4:15
4."To the Burial"3:48
5."The Dream Is Over"3:52
6."Remember a Time"4:05
7."Holding On to You"3:43
8."Won Threw Ate"3:44
9."Ten Years Down"3:53
10."Time Goes On"4:06
11."Eye for an Eye"2:14
Total length:41:42
Japanese edition bonus track[25]
No.TitleLength
12."Your Unsung Friend"4:19
Total length:46:01
Digital download exclusive bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Your Unsung Friend"4:19
13."Tonight We Fall"3:47
Total length:49:48

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[3]

Charts

Chart performance for The Constant
Chart (2010) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[26] 88
US Billboard 200[27] 42
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[28] 24
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[29] 4
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[30] 5

References

  1. ^ "Story of the Year part ways with bassist, post letter to fans on their future". Alternative Press. 30 September 2014.
  2. ^ Paul, Aubin (May 21, 2009). "Story of the Year begin writing next album". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  3. ^ a b The Constant (booklet). Story of the Year. Epitaph Records. 2010. HR788-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ I'm Alive Songfacts
  5. ^ Paul, Aubin (November 3, 2009). "Story of the Year / The Devil Wears Prada / All That Remains / Haste The Day". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  6. ^ Paul, Aubin (December 7, 2009). "Story of the Year: 'To The Burial'". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  7. ^ "I'm Alive - Single by Story of the Year". iTunes. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  8. ^ Yancey, Bryne (January 6, 2010). "Story of the Year detail 'The Constant'". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  9. ^ "AllAccess.com Alternative eWeekly". AllAccess. January 26, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  10. ^ Paul, Aubin (March 1, 2010). "Less Than Jake, the Used, Reel Big Fish, Story of the Year playing Extreme Thing". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  11. ^ Paul, Aubin (February 10, 2010). "Story of the Year: 'The Constant'". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  12. ^ Mann, Tom (August 26, 2011). "Soundwave Counter-Revolution mini-festival lineups". FasterLouder. Junkee Media. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  13. ^ "Critic Reviews for The Constant". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  14. ^ Beringer, Drew. "Story of the Year - The Constant". AbsolutePunk. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  15. ^ Heaney, Gregory. "Review: The Constant". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  16. ^ Persaud, Travis (February 16, 2010). "Story of the Year The Constant". Exclaim!. Ian Danzig. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  17. ^ Holmgren, Henrik (February 14, 2010). "Story of the Year - The Constant". Melodic. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  18. ^ Schumann, David (April–May 2010). "Reviews: Story of the Year / The Constant". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  19. ^ Daley, Sloane (March 5, 2010). "Story of the Year - The Constant". Punknews.org. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  20. ^ Schnädelbach, Buffo (March 17, 2010). "Story of the Year - The Constant". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  21. ^ Thomas, Jen (February 15, 2010). "Story of the Year - The Constant". Rock Sound. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
  22. ^ Davey Boy (15 February 2010). "Story of the Year - The Constant (staff review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  23. ^ UG Team (February 17, 2010). "The Constant review by Story of the Year". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  24. ^ "dgsource.com". dgsource.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  25. ^ "The Constant CD Album". CDJapan. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  26. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 269.
  27. ^ "Story of the Year Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  28. ^ "Story of the Year Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  29. ^ "Story of the Year Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  30. ^ "Story of the Year Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2022.