TAKE ME BACK Do you still remember back when the days were longer? Our dreams were bigger then. The weight of the world had not yet landed on the shoulders of a man. I thought that time stood still, sheltered, protected. They never told me this would end or that the leaves would fall again. Take me back, back to better days. Because this time between has wasted me away. Take me back, where we were not afraid. Because this time between has wasted me away. There was a day when this world went to war and we didn't bat an eye. Real life and the movies felt the same to me and I never questioned why. I know the difference now between fact and fiction. But i've come to find that i've grown bitter in just 24 short years. So now we're running, running blind into the light, we fall behind. We're running, and wasting away with time.

Song Notes - Dan: This was the first song that I recorded vocals on.�For some reason Steve told me that i sound like Greg Graffin from Bad Religion on this song. I thought that was pretty sweet, although I sound more like Celine Dion.�Lyrically it is about growing up and finding out that ignorance is bliss.� Sometimes you wish you could go back and start over. Ryan: The original version of this song that I wrote and recorded sounds nothing like this. It was one of those situations where I brought the song into practice and when we played it, it just didn’t work. So we tore it apart and jammed it out until it became a full on rock tune. I really like my guitar solo too. I really concentrated on making my solos on this record more melodic instead of just playing as fast as I can. When I first started recording demos for this record, all of the solos had finger tapping and shred, and I realized I was putting solos in the songs just because I wanted gnarly solos. So I concentrated on writing solos that actually fit within the context of the song and complemented the music instead of taking away from it. Plus I still need a shit load of practice before I can truly shred. Josh: I love this song. It's probably one of my favorites to hear and play. It just drives the whole time and has a good feeling the whole way through. Plus Ryan's solo makes me want to be Maverick's wing man anytime. Phil: One of my favorite songs on the record. I love the simplicity and the more classic feel of this song. It makes me feel near perfect inside. I absolutely loved doing harmonies on this one because it was so easy to fully submerse myself in it. My favorite thing in this one was the high harmonies at the end. Can you feel the power? The Skull: This song kind of just happened for Dan and I. About half of the lyrics happened almost by accident. Somehow Dan & I had written a few pages each of stuff about the same topic, and when we went to fit it to the melodies, four or five of the lines ended up fitting word for word as they were on paper. Everything just kind of fell in to place. It was a rad feeling.

WE DON’T CARE ANYMORE Underneath the gun in front of waiting eyes. Our time has just begun no second chance tonight. So we walk the longest days to live inside the shortest nights. And we compromise our hearts to keep them satisfied. The shadows of our past are hard to ignore. But judgement means nothing that's not what we're fighting for. We don't care anymore. Underneath the gun in front of doubting eyes. We walk this path as one, take on the world tonight. We will carve our names into their bones. But we'll never sell ourselves that's not what we're fighting for. We don’t care anymore. I won't let this love die. There is only one thing that matters this time. At the hands of judgement, I won't let it die. No sacrifice, regrets left behind, I won't let it die, this time.

Song Notes - Dan: This song was one of the last songs written lyrically.�I originally wrote an entirely different version, but two days before I recorded it, Adam and I decided to start over completely.� It's basically written about doing things for yourself, not for the approval of others.�It turned out much better than the first version. Ryan: During the writing process, we would jam 5 days a week, 8 hours a day. After practice,�I would usually record demos into the morning with an Mbox and a drum machine program. This is the last song idea I wrote for the record and I had no idea it would wind up being a single. In any case, it’s pretty sweet having a song on the radio that’s heavy and not about girls. My favorite part of the song is Phil’s vocal harmonies on the last chorus. No one should be able to sing that high. You know what’s weird? This song almost didn’t happen. I was lying in bed with my girlfriend and we started fighting, so I got all pissed off, got up, opened up Pro-Tools, and started recording shit. By 6 am I had the entire song recorded. Had my boo and I not been fighting, that song wouldn’t exist. Weird. Josh: I am really happy we have this song. This was one of the later ones that we wrote, we needed a powerful grooving type song, and for it to become a single or whatever is an added bonus. Phil: My favorite thing about recording this song was the vocals. During pre-production I was singing all these “o’s” at the end of the last chorus so as soon as Dan started tracking his parts, I was thinking about layers of backing and harmony vocals. The more he sang, the happier I got about the vocal tone he was getting on his performance. Eventually I tried a ton of true harmonies at the end, which were exactly what I had planned during pre-production, and it came out perfectly. It was some of the most fun I had singing on the record. Then we put it over the top with some killer gang vocals. Oooo boy. The Skull: After all the music and vocal melodies are done for a song, Dan and I get together and fit lyrics to it. Sometimes he comes in with most of it done and we just fiddle with some stuff, and sometimes we have to sit in a room staring at the walls for 3 hours before we even put the first line in place. It can be a stressful process. Lyrically, this song represents what this record means to me. For a while before & during the writing process, a couple of us started getting a little paranoid about living up to our last record, having an equally successful single & all that business; but at some point I realized that personally, I just don't give a shit. Good songs are good songs whether they're polka or death metal, and if we love them, then people will too.

TASTE THE POISON Place your needle to the record, stab it down. It feels good to be the one to break the skin. Look at me now just look at me now. Face down, you tell yourself you're happy once again but right now you need this more than anything. But it's never enough. It's never enough for you. And it's the same old story. I've seen it all too many times. It's a fall from glory. It makes you feel alive. You know the hardest truth will flow like water now. You break down the moment that it touches your mouth. So place your lips against the bottle, take it down. It feels good to lose control of everything. But i wasn't myself. I wasn't myself she said. Can anyone feel? Can anyone see? Can anyone taste the poison that we need? Place your needle to the record, stab it down. It feels good to be the one to break the skin now. You're face down, but this is what you wanted. This is what you wanted. I know, but we've lost control.Song Notes - Dan: Lyrically this song came together pretty quickly.� I had a basic idea, and then Adam came in and helped me really take it to the next level.� It's about any kind of addiction.� I've seen a lot of friends let things consume them and in the long run it ends up ruining everything they've worked for. Ryan: This is my second favorite song on this record. This was another song I recorded that when we jammed it out together didn’t quite work out right. The original version I wrote and recorded was over 6 minutes long. You know the slow pretty song at the end of the record? (track 13) That was the intro for this song. Dan recorded this awesome melody over my slow jam, so at some point, I don’t really remember when, we decided to break them up into 2 songs. I love that this is a pure rock song. There is nothing that dates this song. It’s just rock. I absolutely love everyone’s performance on this song and my guitar solo will make moms across the nation horny. It took me a long time to nail it because I tracked all of my solos in one day, and by the time I got to this one, there was skin hanging off all of my fingers and I could barely bend the strings anymore. The rhythm tone on the guitars in this song is the best on the record in my opinion, especially from Chorus B and on. We used an old Tube Screamer pedal, a Big Muff, and a "Super Duper" pedal mostly through Steve's Bogner head. I love it. PHIL: I love the structure of this song. I had a ton of fun while Josh was tracking drums on this one. It just felt great and I was already in love with this song. For the intro I actually ended up using this old 'play back’ box from the 50’s that Steve brought with him, which was used for movie directors when they played back film. It sounded really strange and gritty, so I plugged straight into it and laid down a beat up SM58 in front of it. For the thing right before the solo I experimented with a lot of guitar effects but ended up using this filter modeler that I already had on my live board. Ryan’s dive bomb on this one cant be matched. The Skull: This is my favorite song to play on bass. It's really rhythmically driven in the first half, then this bad ass rock part comes in and it makes me want to drive a Chevy. The lyrics came together pretty well on this one also. We actually used some stuff that I wrote during the Page Avenue process. We recycle more than just aluminum cans.

OUR TIME IS NOW Today will be the day to start rising up and fighting back. And from this moment on we will live our lives with open hearts and open eyes. Keep pushing forward, keep fighting onward. We take control, we take control. We will never step down. We won't fall or hesitate. From this rotting life, we disengage. Can we strive to break away and stop wasting time on these insecurities? Our time is now. No we won't step down because our world is waiting for us to live.

Song Notes - Dan: I wrote most of the lyrics to this song while we were recording drums in Chicago.�I wanted to write a positive song that made people want to get up off their ass and do something with their lives, so I listened to a lot of my old favorite hardcore records to get some inspiration. Hopefully I accomplished that. Ryan: This is my favorite song on this record. I love it like I love my mom. When I die I want to become a mummy and I want this song to play at my funeral. I wrote the basis of this song one night after a really sweet jam session. I finished recording it at 8:30 am, and I picked up The Skull (he still doesn’t have a car) at 9:30am and showed it to him. We were driving to The Remodeling Room to buy a wood floor for our studio, and we were both so excited about this song we listened to it like 7 times in a row. The working title for this song was “Loads of Pussy” because The Skull thought the chorus sounded like something off “Load” by Metallica. Phil: This song rips. In the pre-production of this song I found it a fun challenge to play the guitar parts and sing the harmonies during the choruses. I got it down a few days after we started it. My favorite part though was tracking the guitars in this one. I got to squeal left and right, which is usually Ryan’s forte, but I had to and I was wailing and squealin at Steve for an hour. It was as great as you can imagine. Oh, and I freaked when we finally put in the keyboards and gang vocals. Gotta love gang vocals. The Skull: The day The Nose showed me his demo of this song I said "if this song doesn't make it on to our record I'm going to punch somebody in the face." This song has elements of everything I love about heavy music all rolled in to one. I feel like I should play this song shirtless.

STEREO We're all born within this thoughtless world, a generation bought and sold by a reproduced, stolen, copied package. We've been taught to love this robotic formula, built to please ignorant minds, uncultured masses. Do we know, that our ears have failed us now? Stereo, stereo, tired bullshit dressed in gold. Scan the youth, find the pieces. Stereo, stereo, hear the world that you've created fall to pieces. Radio waves will still transmit the same replica that reeks of staleness and decay unless we resist and open our eyes to this uniform and standard model they insist we consume. Our hearts have failed us now. We’ve all been bought and sold.

Song Notes - Dan: I wrote most of these lyrics on a plane sometime in the fall. I like to write random stuff down on planes and then try to fit it to a song later.�It was the first song that I put lyrics to on the album.�It's about the state of music right now and how a lot of people care more about making money than actually loving the music they write.�Fuck that. Ryan: I love Dan’s lyrics to this song. Every time I listen to it I think of rap videos and how we need more rims and jewelry in our videos. When we did drums to this song, not only did Josh nail the whole thing in one take, but he played so hard and he was so into it that all of us in the room forgot we were recording. We were rocking out like we were playing a show. The vibe in the room on this song was extra special. That’s when a recording is great. It doesn’t have to sound like a million dollars, it just needs soul. The night before I did my guitar tracks to this song, Phil got married, so of course I was shit-faced. More drunk than I’ve been in years. I never puke, but that night I vomited like 20 times and even woke up puking. So Steve (producer) shows up, I puke my guts out and walk straight from the toilet into the control room and start recording. He was pissed at me and told me that I was playing like shit. We tracked for 15 hours and it was the hardest, shittiest day of the whole entire process. I’ve never been that hungover in all of my life. Phil: I remember Dan had the main vocals down from the beginning of this one but after we had it all tracked, we ended up going back and adding a bunch of new harmonies and backing stuff which really made the choruses move a little better. I had a lot of fun tracking this song. The Skull: Dan actually wrote most of this song. The hardcore bridge is courtesy of the Nose. I feel like this song has all the cool elements of Page Avenue with more intensity and heaviness.

FIVE AGAINST THE WORLD - I never thought i'd see the day that we honestly could say we stand five against the world and the doors are open. And through all those years i would have died to be right here. I never thought of backing down with one chance to make a sound. So we'll take our chance right now. These are the days we will remember. These are the days we won't forget. These are the times we shared. These are the promises we made. These are the days. Revolution dead and gone, still integrity holds strong. We stand five against the odds and rise through it all with relentless form and dedication carried on. We stand tall and won't back down with one chance to make a sound. So we'll take our chance right now. Yeah we carry our convictions, just learning as we go, living out the only life we know.

Song Notes - Dan: The lyrics for this song were the product of a few long nights stuck in a room with Adam.�We originally wrote a different chorus, but it just wasn't strong enough for the verses.�This chorus came a couple months later while we were actually recording.�The song is about how far we've come as a band, and after so many years of hard work, five kids from Saint Louis got to see their dreams come true.�That is something we will never forget. Ryan: This song gives me the same feeling that “Boston” gives me. It reminds me of how much I love my band and how much I love playing music. Plus this song has my favorite guitar solo on the record. Phil and Dan sound extra awesome together on this one. I wrote and recorded this song one night after a terrible band practice. It was one of those days that nothing sounded good, no one had any song ideas, and the vibe was shit. I needed a night off, so I had a couple of beers with my friend “Mouse” at the casino and then I went home and watched “Cocktail”. For whatever reason, the movie made me feel really good and motivated, so I sat down in my office / jam room and recorded this song. I drove around and listened to it until the sun came up. I still like listening to my demo version because you can tell I was still kind of drunk when I recorded it. Phil: I was really happy with the way this one turned out.�We ended up trying to mix a lot of different feels into this one song and I think we pulled it off. I think dan sounds BA. The Skull: The fact that we have a song with elements of Pantera, Foo Fighters, Boston, and harcore all in one makes me a happy fucker. The lyrics in this song kind of sum up our band right now. I came up with the idea to have a song about these years and how this is pretty much the time in our lives that will represent us all as people. The original chorus was actually "These years...." instead of "These are the days...." It wasn't as cool. Good thing Dan came up with the new chorus and did the concept justice. He's fucking smart for the son of a coal miner.

SLEEP A million miles an hour, we swallow dotted lines tonight. We ingest the pavement, ignore the passing lights. And the streets, they call our names we'll never feel the same. Tearing through this ghost town, we haunt the lifeless streets. Still it seems they call our names. We'll never feel the same. Tonight will pass us by as we're breathing in this moonlit air. Tonight will pass us by as the world it seems to disappear. But I'm asleep at the wheel. Another destination, far away from here where the streets, they call our names. We'll never feel the same, again. Tonight will pass us by as we're breathing in this moonlit air. A million miles we drive as the world it seems to disappear. But I'm here with you. We will drive forever. But now I'm asleep at the wheel still the streets they call our names.

Song Notes - Dan: This song always seemed like it put us in a certain mood, so lyrically I tried to give it a spooky feel that takes you to a different place.�It's a good night time cruising song. Ryan: I wrote and recorded the idea for this song in Philadelphia while we on tour with the Lost Prophets, My Chemical Romance, and Anberlin. I recorded it in our dressing room, I think the club is called the “Electric Factory”. This song almost didn’t make the record. When I showed it to my band, I’m pretty sure the only one who liked it was Phil. Every time we played it, it sounded like a donkey eating a toaster. One night (after we picked all of the songs that we were going to record) just for the hell of it I was showing Steve (producer) some of my demos that he’d never heard, and when I showed him this song he insisted that we record it. I’m really glad we did. It sounds mysterious and kind of spacey (like Kevin). I especially like Josh’s drum beat in the first chorus, and my little solo after the first chorus makes me want to practice my guitar every single day. Doing little runs / solos with no gain takes a lot more feeling and finesse. It’s fun, like dancing. Josh: I love the groove of this song and how it just gradually gets more powerul as it goes along. It is the softest track, but is one of the more powerful ones in my opinion. Phil: I’m really happy this song turned out. I remember when we were doing first cuts, this one hit the scrap pile. We didn’t have vocals and some structure stuff done but we thought that it just wasn’t right. Stevie came in, though, and made a big deal about it, so we raised it from the dead and messed with it and got it all down. But it wasn’t til Dan came to track with the lead melody that this song really started to have a feel. When it came to harmonies I spent a little more time on being creative since I didn’t want to do a bunch of linear harmonies on this song. I love it and they ended up being my favorite harmonies on the record. Again another one with simplicity that was really fun to get into when I was tracking vocals, especially the high stuff towards the end.

MEATHEAD Drop the tailgate, drop the tailgate, fuck the jailbait, drop the water-weight. Roll the sleeves up, double XL let's go (malice and muscle.) Rock the dance floor, rock the dance floor, throw the punch man, get what you paid for. Toss a kid like a spiral football throw. We know you're throwing punches to prove yourself and it's all for show, but you're not impressing me. This life was built on heart and soul, and it doesn't mean a thing to you, but it's all we know. What's the game plan? What's the game plan? Prove to them you're built like a real man. Flex your ego and dominate the show (jock manifesto.) No discretion, no progression, open floor for unchecked aggression. You're the punch-line to this pathetic joke.

Song Notes - Dan: Probably my favorite song on the record. I wanted to write a fast, short, kick ass punk rock song, cause that's what I grew up listening to.�I wrote the music about six months before the lyrics.�It took a while to figure out what to write it about, but then Adam and I realized that we needed a song about tough guy assholes. Ryan: When Dan showed me this song, (I think it was on Warped Tour) I knew it would be on the record. This turned out to be one of my favorite songs. This song is Dan all the way. Josh: When Dan showed us this song on his demo he made, I was like "no way i can play that fast." Fast stuff isn't my forte, but I guess it worked out because it is one of my favorites to play. The lyrics are rad because when I went to shows and got in the "mosh pit" I hated those retarded dudes that were in the pit to hurt people. Phil: Thanks Matt for the killer idea for a title. This song ruled during drum tracking because we got to watch Josh sweat. This song took on a new feel after Dan and Adam came with the lyrics and finished melodies. It was fun to play from the get go and was a blast to watch everyone track� their parts. The Skull: I love fast songs. The working title for this song was "Dan Loves The Punk Rock" because he loves fast songs too. He loves to say "fuck" as well. Some of these lyrics came straight off the page "as is" also. The coolest part about this song for me was doing a few no-talent ass clown scream backups. I like to scream

MARCH OF THE DEAD You tell yourself that you're not the same. As you stand in line, your time will all be wasted. Scum littered earth, blind lead the dead. Blood thirsty zombies cloned to reject the colorful, the brightest eyes. Take these words for what they are (lights out). That's what you say. Deny the chance to think for yourself. You inherit lies, your time has all been wasted. Follow tradition to quench your thirst and swallow vomit from ancestors. So shun the queer and praise the skies. You're already dead. So now you stand in line, embrace your leader. Stand in line, feast on their words. Refuse to learn and choke on dead traditions. Are you gonna take your turn or just stand in line? Your denial will lead you single file into the ground.

Song Notes - Dan: This was the first song that we all jammed together for this album.�It kind of set the direction of where we were trying to go with our music.�A lot of people go through life without ever questioning the things around them.� They follow what they’re taught is right without seeing both sides of the story.� Lyrically, this song is just encouraging people not to be lead blindly into any situation.�Think for yourself. Express your individuality. Ryan: I wrote and recorded the original version of this song in Detroit on the Warped Tour in the back of our bus, but I don’t think I showed it to anyone for a long time after that. The original version had all kinds of time signature and tempo changes, and was really fun to play, but it didn’t sound like much of a song; so during preproduction we cleaned it up a lot. This was a situation where less was definetly more. My guitar solo makes me want to fly an F-14 fighter jet. It’s slow and melodic, but I think Maverick or Goose would of liked it. Josh: This song I think went through a few different versions before we finally got it down.� It was one of the first things we worked when we started writing together. It sounded wierd for a while, but after a while it all came together and sounded awesome. It also has my favorite guitar solo on it. Phil: I remember when Ryan showed us this song after he recorded it on his computer. It was on our headlining tour� last fall� (‘04) and we were in Boston right by the ballpark while the Red Sox were beating the Cardinals back home. What a bummer. The Skull: The main riff from this song was probably the first thing Ryan showed me out of these songs. The chorus of this song was a total collaboration between Dan, Phil, The Nose, and I. We were all kind of stumped at first, then all of a sudden we had four different ideas that all turned in to one. It was pretty cool. I love pistachios.

PAY YOUR ENEMY Your face was never missed. Your cleverness and cunning words did not exist. Bitter and bleak, you're fucking weak. You know you don't deserve a thing. You fight for pride to save your name, to heal the scars, erase the shame. Dig the grave, dig the grave. Save an ounce of dignity there's nothing left to prove to you. You've become the enemy. Let it go. You'll never take the blame. Let it go. I'll tear it down. Arrogant, sycophant, flatter everyone you can. I'm pulling teeth, cause talk is cheap, and my regrets are elbow deep. Now it's time to chase the dream with hand grenades and gasoline. Burn it down, burn it down, every gracious word you speak. Cause now i see right through, so fuck you. The time has come you know, to just let go. And it's not enough that you're handed everything. Still you smile to my face, but this time I'LL TEAR IT DOWN.

Song Notes - Dan: I wrote a lot of the music for this song on tour in the bus last fall.� I was trying to write a good heavy sing along song.�Luckily Ryan and Phil added some shredding guitar riffs later, cause I can't shred.�The bridge actually came from an old song that we wrote for the last record but never recorded.�Lyrically, it's just a big "fuck you" to anyone who has ever totally screwed you.�I'll just say that we are finally big enough to get sued. Ryan: Listen to the bridge of this song if you ever want to murder anyone. Phil: Needless to say, this one was fun to track because every one of us had a very easy time getting into it. Most of these riffs have a ton of really quick galloping and chunking,�so while I was tracking this one I remember my forearms were ripped and I looked like The Hulk. Still do of course. The Skull: This was a song that Dan wrote most of on the road. The death metal bridge riff was something from Page Avenue that we very reluctantly didn't end up using, so it was really cool to be able to bring it back for this song. The lyrics are definitely angrier than anything we've ever done, but they're really honest. As a band we were all really hurt and pissed about a specific situation, and I think Dan and I expressed it pretty well here.

WAKE UP THE VOICELESS: I've swallowed every hook, fallen for their disguise, lived by the book, felt the blade of the knife as it pressed against my neck. We're taught to imitate, segregate and divide, do what we're told, rise and fall with the tide. If we refuse to play the pawn, then they will hear us screaming. Wake up the voiceless. Wake up the revolution. We are alive tonight. They advertise your life through a blanket of lies. They expand the truth so their profits will rise, just ignore the sacrifice. Liars casting stones at the gods they create. We're amplified to provide what they take. If we refuse to play the role, then they will hear us screaming. They're the reason for defiance. We can't ignore. We're the promise of a new day. This is a war. The blood will spill. The voices will be heard, and tonight, we are alive.

Song Notes - Dan: I was really confused when Ryan first showed us this song.� It sounded more like Survivor than us, but it turned out to be a really cool song and it was fun to play something a little different. Ryan: The night I wrote and recorded this song, I drove with my dog to downtown St Louis and back just jamming, and he shit in my truck. But it was a little turd, and it was still awesome. That’s my thing, throughout this whole writing process, whenever I recorded a demo, I always drove my truck around town at 4 or 5 am just jamming. That’s my favorite time of day. Windows down. No one on the road but me. My original demo wasn’t half as good as the final version, (except for my drums!) but the bass line made me so fucking happy. I’ve always wanted a song with the classic rock bassline. BOOF. BOOF. BOOF. BOOF. That song was actually called “Boof” until we came up with a name for it. I was scared to show this song to my band. The only thing I thought they would like is the fast Chinese sounding guitar riff in the verse. Josh: I like this song alot because it is probably the most different one on the album. The verse beat is nothing like we have done before. Plus it kinda has that "Eye Of The Tiger" feel. Phil: We have so many 80’s influences coming out on this record that we couldn’t leave out the 80’s pop beat. Gang vocals were intense for this one.�Adam almost passed out and sounded like he was just waking up from anesthesia after every line. I hope we have that on video. The Skull: We fucked with this song a lot musically and vocally to get it where it is now. It turned out so much better than I had first expected. Ryan and I have been wanting a part with just vocals and drums forever, and now we have it. When we were recording the gang vocals for this song I almost passed out and threw up at the same time. In between each line I would involuntarily let out this weird little moan that sounded like a ninety year old woman taking a shit in a well. It was fucking hilarious.

"IS THIS MY FATE?” HE ASKED THEM Do you really fucking think that it's a choice, a way of life plagued by discrimination? You're narrow minded and quick to judge with bible belt tunnel vision. This is ignorance. Failure to evolve is failure to us all. When will you learn that this is where we fall? "Is this my fate?" he asked them. They answered, condemning him to burn. Rejected, forsaken, for being fucking born. I can't believe that this is still a question that needs an answer. A bigots eyes, judging lives based on the sex of who you fuck. Burn. Judged and condemned to burn. When will you learn?

Song Notes - Dan: Wow. Holy shit.�I think we all almost exploded the first time we played this song together.�When Ryan first played that opening riff, I thought Gary from Merciful Fate had entered the room. It was sweet.�Lyrically, I think this is my favorite on the record.�There is still discrimination everywhere in our world, whether it's race, religion, sex, or sexual preference.�We need to learn that there is no one way to live. Everyone is different,�but we are all human beings and it's time to start treating each other that way. Ryan: This is by far my favorite song to play. I actually came up with the main riff of the song when my friend “Mouse” and I were jamming after a party I had at my house. When I played it with my band I knew no matter what, this was going to be on the record. The Skull came up with the guitar riff for the chorus, which is awesome, because he doesn’t really write music. He writes the shit out of some vocals though. The Skull and Dan pretty much wrote all of the lyrics to this record. ATTN LADIES AND GENTLEMAN: Learn this song, because we will probably play it at every show until we break up in 2030. Josh: INTENSE INTENSE INTENSE!!!! This was the last song I tracked. I did it in 2 takes only because on the second take it was so intense that I stabbed my tom heads and pushed some stuff over and we felt like that was that. We probably were not going to get a better take than that. Phil: This song rules. We actually played it live once before we tracked it which really helped in getting a better idea with what we wanted to do with backing and additional vocals. I had some of the harmonies down but got a lot of ideas from playing it live. That’s also what really helped seal the deal when it came to the “burn” vocals in the bridge. When this one came together the freakin sky parted and my eyes turned magenta. I love living. I love this band. The Skull: I've been waiting ten years for a song like this. The day we played this song all the way through for the first time, I got so stoked that I took off my bass and threw it. Playing this song makes my feel like the raddest dude on planet fucking Earth. I feel like we have a song that would make Dimebag Darrell move his head. That completes my life.

Story Of The Year Thanks: First and foremost, all of our fans and friends for supporting this band over the years, and most importantly you, for buying this record. There are no rock stars in this band. There are no idols, no celebrities. We are YOU. We are music fans. We are the band in the basement, the nerds in the record store. So, for us to be in this position, to have this kind of opportunity to create music for a living, we are eternally grateful. Grateful for all of our fans that have embraced this band and helped us get to where we are today. Without you, the fan, this record would not have happened. For that we owe you our lives and two bags of dog food. So from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU. P.S. This is probably the best record made since 1908. That being said, Story Of The Year would like to thank the tighest road crew in the game: the MuhFuckin P.A.C... John Oakes, Timmy Wu, Dan Trost, Biff Steel, The Too Silent Ghost, Chad Olech, Jedd Taub, Supa Dave, Chris Campbell, and Matt "Road Dizzle" Steinke. Our gnarly management, John Reese, Paul Gomez, Scott Harmonator, John Oakes and Lonie Fink. Guy Oseary, Robbie Snow, Esther Somlo, Phil Costello, Emily Fife, Devin Sarno, and everyone at Maverick, Warner and Reprise. Steve Evetts, "All-in Snoop" Hesslerhoff, Justin Mank, Ken Fermaglich @ The Agency Group, Uncle Larry and Steve Landau @ Provident, Eric Greenspan, Kevin Hershey @ EMI, Jim Baltutis, Nick Lambrou, Chris Ravenscraft, Ashley and Jamie for putting up with the noise, Joe Hahn, Winn and everyone at PRS guitars, Bob Tayor and Bob Borbonus @ Taylor guitars, Ernie Ball, DR strings, Michelle Silberman @ Line 6, Hugh Gilmartin @ Marshall, Krank, Bat Cat, Peavey, Josh and Daniel @ OCDP, Kirsten and Ryan @ Zildjian, Kevin and Jennifer @ Pro Mark, Garrison @ Drum Workshop, Ryan Smith @ Shure, Warwick, Joe @ Zon Guitars, Dan Elliot @ Gallien Krueger, Zoran @ Zoo York, Rolland Berry, Marty Kish @ Vestal, Nixon, Billy Massey @ Monster, Dave Weiderman @ Guitar Center Hollywood, Remo, Casey Eklips and Tal Cooperman @ The 7th Letter, Tim Bergevin @ Nike, Mike Doyle @ DVS shoes, Marc Conner @ Etnies / Emerica, Phil Smalls @ Black Flys, Lilly Ngo @ Red Bull, Tour Supply, Vitamin Water, Greg Teal and everyone @ Hurley, Kevin Lyman and the Warped Tour, Walter and Brandon @ Club Tattoo, Brian Abbott the gun totin' tattoo artist, Tracy Wild, Cornbread, and 105.7 the Point, Don Clark @ Asterisk Studios, Aunt Gaby, Jim Kelly, Kurt Steffek, Darren Hall, Mondo, Janis Unterweiser and Dave Weier @ Fuse, Peter Baron and Amy Doyle @ MTV, Kelly Electa, Jeff Lanahan, Billy Clark, Bob Rocca, Chris Siglin @ FEA, Hambone, Mark Fiore, Samir Nagheenanajar, and the following bands for their help, support, friendship, good looks, or all of the above: Adair, Anberlin, The Baitcasters, BigBlueMonkey, Bullets N’ Octane, Goldfinger, Hazen Street, Hoobastank, Letter Kills, Linkin Park, Locash, Lost Prophets, Monty, Motion City Soundtrack, My Chemical Romance, Near Miss, P.O.D., Saosin, Simple Plan, 67 North, Sophomore, Sound Advice, Spoken, Stretch Armstrong, Stutterfly, Sugarcult, Taking Back Sunday, The Used, Thrice, and Godsmack. If you feel like we forgot you, please take it up with Josh. You can find him either at one of our shows or at your local Best Buy.

Dan Says: Thank you to my beautiful wife Jenny for being my support through everything, I love you, Hammer "the coolest dog in the world", my band: Ryan, Adam, Josh, and Phil for kicking ass and enabling our dreams to come true. Mom and Dad thanks for always supporting me even when my bands sucked, the PAC crew, Timmy, Trost, Oakes, Biff, Chad, Jed, Mark, Scott, Supa-Dave, Matt "road-dog", touring wouldn't be the same without you. Everyone in Letter Kills, Adair, and Bullets N’ Octane, I love you guys in a very homosexual way. Reese, Gomez, and everyone at Freeze Management, you rule above all other management companies. Steve Evetts, thanks for making us sound like a band, Allan Hessler, I know you think I'm cute, Robbie, Esther, Guy, and everyone at Maverick, thanks for the hard work, Jarrod and Nick, we will skate more soon, the Long family for letting me steal their daughter, everyone in my family, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, you are all amazing. But most importantly, anyone who has bought a CD, came to a show, bought a t-shirt, or just supported us in any way, you are the reason why we are here. Thank you. XXXPhilip Taylor Sneed says thank you to: My Father God in Heaven, my most beloved and dearest friend Katrina, the angels of my life: Alexia, Kalei and Bella, the Sneed Hawkins, Wibracht, and Wesche families, Mark Roth, Scott McNew, John Ingoldsby, my second home Lion's Choice, Eric and Kari Brand, Phil Winchester, Randy Spencer and Royal Crest, Bobby Battles, Bull Hill, Nathan and Jesse w/ Sophomore, Morgan Rose, Jacoby Shaddux, Anberlin, Spoken, TBS, UnderOath, Hooba, P.O.D., Letter Kills, Saosin, Loser's Luck, Westcott, BiLevel, Hell in the Cannon, Adair, Noah Bernardo, JoeyBreaksThings, Tony Chavez, Jeff Lanahan, Big Billy Clark, A huge special thanks to Justin Mank and Jon Paider for the enormous help with equipment for this record, and of course Stevie E. and Big Al Hustler, Reese, Gomez, Harmon, Oakes, and Lonie, Paul Reed Smith, Winn Krozack and Paul Miles @ PRS Guitars, Bob Taylor, Bob Borbonus, Dave and everyone @ Taylor Guitars, Chris Siglan, Don Clark, Nathan Stewart @ Microsoft and my best friend on the road Halo 2, Nick Lambrou, Chris Ravenscraft, Duke M, Jim Kelly, Kevin Hershey, Ken Fermaglich, Kurt Steffek, Robbie Snow, Esther Somlo, Guy Oseary and everyone @ Maverick, the whole field staff with Reprise (you make a difference!), anyone who has supported us by buying our records or DVD and/or attending our shows, and thanks especially to the everlasting PAC and my 4 brothers in this crazy ride! And if I forgot ya... better luck next time.The Skull: Thanks to my wife, family, friends, the fans, and my band for kicking a supreme amount of ass. Dimebag Darrell Abbott 1966 - 2004 R.I.P.Ryan / aka THE NOSE. I would like to hump the following people in no particular order: My Creator, Ashley my lil' boo for tolerating all of my eccentricities and my uncanny ability to act like a retard in any situation. Love you. My band - Adam, Josh, Phil, and Dan, I don't have to tell you guys that you are family, I'm so lucky to be in a band with my favorite humans - please don't die soon. Mom and Dad for always supporting my friends and I with our dreams, even when they seemed impossible. Love you. The MuhFuckin' P.A.C. - John Oakes, you have cool feet and everyone in this band owes you SO much, Timmy Wu - Over ten years of friendship is nothing compared to all of the beer we drink together, you are the heart and soul of this operation. Biff Steel - If I could be any other human in the world, I would be a ninja. But besides that, I would be you. Trost - I would love to do your mother. A lot. Gordon Host & Bamboo Amigo - can I come to the wedding? Jedd and Chad - you have cool heads and make our crew look tough like Jean Claude Van Damm in Bloodsport. Matt "Road Dog" Steinke, thanks for looking like Jim Belushi. John Reese, Paul Gomez, and the Harmonator for not being Hollywood douche bags and for being as passionate about this band as us, Steve Evetts for loving my guitar solos and not letting Pro Tools join our band too much, Allan "Snoop" HesslerHoff for not pretending you're straight anymore - Stay FOCUSed. Mr. Burns - you look like a Thanksgiving turkey. Chris and Mouse- I would fight a North American brown bear for either of you, Cobras for life. Prost - a true wing-man and bro, Jamie - thank you so much for putting up with us and all of the noise while we made this record, you're the best. Clair Huxstable, Sean for always beating me in poker. Thanks for that. Mark - thanks for going to college for 17 years, the world needs you. Love you. Shona - thanks for introducing me to hair metal before I could ride a bike. Love you. Largemouth bass everywhere for letting me catch them, all of my STL drinking buds, especially D-Money (we're nihilists and we love gold), Crowell, and E Dub, my entire family, the entire Wibracht family, especially Rob (D.I.L.F.) and Nancy (M.I.L.F.) for always treating me like a son. Duane, Karen, the boob patrol - Dre, Kitty, Jenny, and Christy - love you guys. Anne and Tyler - Love you guys. James Grossenheider and Marcus Early for being such an inspiration to me, love you guys. My dogs "Little Dirt" and "Nails" for eating all of my shoes and furniture. David Smith - almost every memory I have of my youth involves you in some way, J-Rock - I love everything about you. Nikki - remember the time you made out with that dude in my basement? Guy, Fertile Bob, Esther, and everyone at the label for all your hard work, and most importantly, YOU for buying this record, because I love my guitar more than Dan loves cocaine, and without you, there would be no us. Thanks!!!! On that note, music, fishing, dirt bikes, boobs, bros, and beer. That’s what life is all about. Not money. Not fame. Listen to some Kansas and have a barbeque tonight. Josh: I would like to congratulate all of the following for being thanked by me - God (for making me, everyone on this list, and for the opportunities), Christy for your patience, love, and support, and also your great "personality," Tosca, Lola, Rennen, Lando, Cody, and Riley, The Fam, All of my friends, The P.A.C. Crew - Timmy, Trost, Biff, Chad, Supa Dave, Oakie, Jed, Bamboo Amigo and Gordon Host a.k.a. The Too Silent Ghost, Road Dog, Daniel, Josh and everyone at OCDP, Kirsten and Ryan at Zildjian, Kevin and Jennifer at Pro-Mark, Garrison at Drum Workshop, Neo for taking the red pill, The St. Louis Cardinals, Branden, Spike, Jordan, everyone at our label for all of the hard work, Allan Hesslerhoff, Steve Evetts, and all the people who come to our shows, buy t-shirts, buy records, or even visit our website. We would not be where we are today without you and your support. Finally my band for consistantly looking so great on a daily basis and being able to play so so. Thanks, and again congratulations.

All songs by Story of the Year. Lyrics by Story of the Year. ©2005 Big Blue Monkey Music / EMI Blackwood Music Inc. BMI Lyrics Reprinted by Permission. All Rights Reserved. Produced by Steve Evetts and Story of the Year. Engineered and Mixed by Steve Evetts. Assistant Engineering by Allan Hessler. Recorded at The Steamy Nook, St Louis, MO and Gravity Studios, Chicago, IL. Mixed at Bay 7, Valley Glen, CA. Mastered by Tom Baker at Precision Mastering. Management: Freeze Artist Management. A&R: Guy Oseary. Legal: Eric Greenspan for Myman, Fineman, Abell, Greenspan and Light. Booking: Ken Fermaglich for The Agency Group. Business Management: Larry Einbund for Provident Financial Management. Press: Jim Baltutis. Art: The Nose. CD Design by The Skull - Nose Dick Factory. Band Photos by Chapman Baehler.

STORY OF THE YEAR is:Dan Marsala - VocalsPhilip Sneed - Guitar, VocalsConstable Wills - Drums, VocalsRyan A.K.A. The Nose - Guitar, VocalsThe Skull - Bass, Vocals, Tuba