I Am (Toothgrinder album)

I Am is the third studio album by American metalcore band Toothgrinder. The album was released on October 11, 2019 through Spinefarm Records.[9]

I Am
Studio album by
Toothgrinder
ReleasedOctober 11, 2019
Genre
Length39:51
LabelSpinefarm
ProducerMatt Squire
Toothgrinder chronology
Phantom Amour
(2017)		 I Am
(2019)
Singles from I Am
  1. "I Am"
    Released: August 23, 2019[3]
  2. "My Favorite Hurt"
    Released: September 24, 2019[4]
  3. "The Silence of a Sleeping WASP"
    Released: October 5, 2019[5]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Cryptic Rock[6]
Dead Press![7]
Distorted Sound8/10[8]
Exclaim!3/10[1]
Metal Temple[2]

Lyrical themes

Opening track "The Silence of a Sleeping WASP" is a sequel to "The Shadow" from the band's previous album Phantom Amour. Lyrically, the songs deal with Carl Jung's concept of the shadow and how it deals with addiction and alcoholism.[10] The album's title track also deals with themes of addiction, along with depression, anxiety, and co-dependency, among others.[11]

Reception

I Am polarized critics upon its release.

Cryptic Rock gave the album a perfect score of 5/5, calling I Am the band's most complete work to date.[6] Distorted Sound gave the album a highly positive review, praising the album's experimental but accessible sound along with Matthews's emotional lyrics.[8]

Zach Buggy of Dead Press! gave the album an overwhelmingly negative review, saying the aggressiveness of Nocturnal Masquerade and the progressiveness of Phantom Amour have been diluted and "boiled down into a melting pot of half-baked ideas" that results in "a bland, accessible mess." Buggy said the band comes off as "a less obnoxious Five Finger Death Punch, or as metal’s answer to Imagine Dragons."[7] Exclaim!'s Max Morin also gave an overwhelmingly negative review, saying the album sounds like every metal song on Sirius XM meshed together, resulting in a sound similar to Shinedown and Bring Me the Horizon. Morin claimed the record was Toothgrinder selling out, getting rid of many of its heavier and experimental elements for a "pop sheen" and "radio-friendly production." Morin did praise the title track for the confessional lyrics of Justin Matthews and for the djent style riff.[1]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Justin Matthews; all music is composed by Toothgrinder

No.TitleLength
1."The Silence of a Sleeping WASP"3:23
2."ohmymy"3:20
3."My Favorite Hurt"4:05
4."No Tribe"4:46
5."no surrender in the House of Leaves"3:50
6."shiVer"2:53
7."The New Punk Rock"2:53
8."too soft for the scene, TOO MEAN FOR THE GREEN"3:29
9."Can Ü Live Today?"3:03
10."The Fire of June"4:46
11."I Am"3:23

Personnel
  • Justin Matthews – lead vocals
  • Johnuel Hasney – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Jason Goss – rhythm guitar
  • Matt Arensdorf – bass, backing vocals
  • Wills Weller – drums

References
  1. Morin, Max (October 9, 2019). "Toothgrinder I Am". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  2. Garcia, Mark (November 29, 2019). "Toothgrinder - I Am review". Metal Temple. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  3. DiVita, Dan (August 23, 2019). "Toothgrinder Confess Addiction on New Song I Am, Announce Album". Loudwire. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  4. "Toothgrinder reveal a dark side in "My Favorite Hurt"". Alternative Press. September 24, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  5. Kennelty, Greg (October 5, 2019). "TOOTHGRINDER's New Song "The Silence Of A Sleeping WASP" Is Pretty Catchy". Metal Injection. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  6. "Toothgrinder - I Am (Album Review)". Cryptic Rock. October 7, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  7. Buggy, Zach (October 14, 2019). "ALBUM REVIEW: Toothgrinder - I Am". Dead Press!. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  8. McHugh, Dan (October 15, 2019). "ALBUM REVIEW: I Am - Toothgrinder". Distorted Sound. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  9. "I Am by Toothgrinder". Apple Music. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  10. "Toothgrinder Debut "The Silence Of A Sleeping WASP"". The Prp. October 4, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  11. Rosenberg, Axl (August 23, 2019). ""I Am" in Love With This New Toothgrinder Song". Metal Sucks. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
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