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<\/p>\nIt\u2019s fashionable in some circles to declare rock as dead and buried. And while it\u2019s true that other styles may have surpassed it sales-wise in the music marketplace, rock is very much alive. For evidence, one need only witness the sustained success of Theory of a Deadman. Formed nearly 25 years ago in Canada\u2019s British Columbia Province, Theory soared to the top of the charts with their self-titled debut album.<\/p>\n
Fronted by lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Tyler Connolly, the band took off and never looked back; in the band\u2019s first 15 years, Theory placed every one of their albums in the Canadian Top Ten. Stateside success was a bit slower in coming, but once it did \u2013 with Theory\u2019s third long player, 2008\u2019s Scars & Souvenirs<\/i> \u2013 there seemed to be no stopping the group. That record and the four albums that would follow each soared to the Top Ten on the U.S. Alternative Rock charts.<\/p>\n
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The group has landed a staggering 25 singles on the Mainstream Rock chart, with eight of those going Gold (500,000 units sold in the U.S.), Platinum (1 million units) or better. Along the way, Theory of a Deadman has filled arenas as an opening or headline act, in the process putting to rest any question as to whethere rock is alive or dead.<\/p>\n
Yet when it comes to critical success, the band\u2019s track record stands in sharp contrast to its sales figures. Critics haven\u2019t always been as kind as fans; a cross-section of reviewers writing for Allmusic.com, for example, has awarded each of the band\u2019s first seven albums anywhere from a maximum of three stars out of five (for their debut and 2017\u2019s Wake Up Call<\/i>) down to one star for 2011\u2019s The Truth Is\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n
Fortunately, Tyler Connolly isn\u2019t bothered by all that. He admits that on occasion the band\u2019s management sends him copies of reviews. \u201cBut they\u2019re all positive,\u201d he laughs. \u201cI don\u2019t know if that\u2019s [being] filtered for us,\u201d he says, though his next comment makes it clear that he knows the score. \u201cWe aren’t a critically acclaimed band and never have been,\u201d he concedes. \u201cAnd at this point I think we’ve all accepted our fate.\u201d<\/p>\n
After decades within the machinery of the music business, Connolly has a clear sense of how things work. And while Theory has maintained a good working relationship with the band\u2019s label Roadrunner Records (a division of the mighty Warner Music Group), he sees clouds on the horizon: not for rock itself, but for the industry.<\/p>\n
The labels are kind of freaking out,\u201d he observes, \u201cbecause they’re losing control over something that they used to have complete control over.\u201d He says that in today\u2019s music scene, \u201cthe fans decide what a hit is, and in a lot of countries, radio is kind of dying.\u201d It\u2019s being replaced by streaming, he points out. And while that works out reasonably well for an established band like Theory (with a deep catalog of those seven albums, joined in mid-March by Dinosaur<\/i>), it poses great challenges for newer, younger artists.<\/p>\n
Playlisting and streaming are good if you have a fan base,\u201d Connolly observes. \u201cBut I\u2019m not sure what new bands are going to do; it\u2019s going to be really tough.\u201d While he seems fully committed to the future of his band, Connolly\u2019s attitude about the prospects for the next wave of rockers is somewhat more pessimistic.<\/p>\n
That dour mindset informs the band\u2019s latest single, the hard-rocking title track from Dinosaur<\/i>. Lyrics like \u201cWe\u2019re all fucked, yeah, we can\u2019t be saved,\u201d and \u201cTonight we\u2019re going out, going out like the dinosaur\u201d suggest that even as the world is emerging from a global pandemic, Tyler Connolly doesn\u2019t hold much hope for the future after all.<\/p>\n
I tend to think that we as humans, more than ever, are quite cynical and pessimistic,\u201d he says. \u201cAs much as we want to pretend we’re optimistic \u2013 \u2018No, everything’s going to be wonderful!\u2019 \u2013 I think that inside, we’re all kind of like, \u2018This sucks. This is trash.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n