Concertwire.com

Vancouver's Theory of a Deadman became the first act to sign with Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger's 604 Records imprint in 2001. Tyler Connolly (vocals/guitar) reportedly slipped a copy of the band's demo to Kroeger at a post-concert party and the two were soon collaborating on songs together. One of these, "Invisible Man," was used as the B-side for 2002's wildly successful Spider-Man theme, "Hero" and anticipated Theory of a Deadman's self-titled debut of the same year. Also featuring Dave Brenner (guitar), Dean Back (bass), and Tim Hart (drums), the album's hook-laden, emotional hard rock sounded very similar to their celebrity benefactor's band -- almost disturbingly so, actually. But a healthy touring workload and simple maturation ultimately helped Theory of a Deadman break out of that confining stylistic box for their more varied and distinctive sophomore effort, Gasoline. Theory of a Deadman had a simple but daunting goal for its third album: to make the greatest record possible. From the swirling grind of "By the Way" to the nasty snarl of "Crutch" to the soaring melodicism of "Not Meant to Be," Scars & Souvenirs is a broad-reaching endeavor that puts Connolly, guitarist Dave Brenner and bassist Dean Back high in the rock pantheon, achieving creative growth without sacrificing the hard-hitting power that got them there in the first place.