Good Charlotte – The Chronicles Of Life And Death

Ahhhh, Good Charlotte, the band you love to hate. The band that you call sell-outs. Posers. Losers. Just plain sucks. But then again, that comes with the territory of being played on Much Music and MTV. Well, they are back with their third full length album, The Chronicles Of Life And Death; and as I sit here, staring at one of the two possible covers (the death one in my case) of the album sitting on my computer desk, I can only think of one thing: this CD is good.

The 15-track album (including the bonus track which differs depending on what version you have) lasts just over 60 minutes and opens up with a eerie 2 and a half minute opener, which reminds me of The Nightmare Before Christmas movie; which I believe was the intent since the entire album artwork leans towards that film and their first video for Predictable did too. From that song, they move onto the title track, and it sets the tone for the album. It talks about life and how each day could be your worse or your best day of your life; and that is what the album is about. Slightly leaning towards the darker side most of the time. Benji and Joel no longer talk about their father as much, instead they talk about being lost, scared of dying alone, relationships and death. Take a look at The World Of Black, and you’ll get the dark feeling I’m talking about. But they are also able to lighten the moods with songs like I Just Want To Live, which is more of a dance song then a pop-punk song, talking about wanting to live their lives and not have to worry about why people are talking to them for no apparent reason.

One standout thing about this album is the diversity. Sure, each track has their unique Good Charlotte feel to it (excluding I Just Want To Live which is unlike any song I’ve heard of theirs before), but they are able to switch tempos seamlessly. From a slow, soft, sometimes piano driven melodies like The Truth and We Believe to faster, up beat songs like S.O.S. and The World Is Black. This helps the album flow without becoming overbearingly repetitive.

Now, The Chronicles Of Life And Death won’t change most people’s opinion on the band. But if you liked them before, you will enjoy this album. And if you hated them before, there’s probably a chance that you’ll find one or two tracks which appeal to you.