Daughtry: Break The Spell (2011) Review

A round of applause for Daughtry, please.

Because after hanging on in there for six years, it feels like they’ve finally reached their final form.

Break The Spell is locked and loaded with big hooks, memorable choruses, and soaring vocals, and it carries an additional sense of self-confidence which wasn’t quite there on previous releases, one which has been forged by putting in the hard yards on the road.

The end result is a band who know exactly who they are, and what they do well, serving up highlight-after-highlight and, such is the quality on show here, we’re not exaggerrating when we say this may be remembered as their definitive piece of work.

Daughtry’s decision to swap post-grunge heaviness in favour of straight-ahead rock is a key component here.

It could’ve backfired spectacularly, but it actually suits them down to the ground.

Their relatable, blue collar brand of rock sounds far more effective when placed behind a layer of gloss versus the rawer, heavier sound of their previous output, and we can expect them to land considerably more airplay as a result. For with this new style, singer-songwriter Chris Daughtry is finally in a position to capitalize on his talent for penning radio-friendly, chorus-driven rock songs – and boy does he deliver!

You need look no further than lead single Renegade for proof.

With a towering guitar chorus and a riff which screams “We’ve just been on tour with Bon Jovi!”, this classic track does a superb job of showing how the band have adapted their sound since Leave This Town.

“I wanted to switch things up a little on this record. It sounds nothing like the two which came before, lyrically it’s more upbeat and positive. I’m incredibly proud of it!”

– Chris Daughtry

“I wanted to switch things up a little on this record.

It sounds nothing like the two which came before, lyrically it’s more upbeat and positive. I’m incredibly proud of it!”

– Chris Daughtry

Other highlights scattered throughout the LP’s tight 43-minute run-time include the stomping Outta My Head, on which axeman Josh Steely drops a guitar hook which we predict you won’t get out of your head for at least two weeks.

(Trust us, we tried!)

Elsewhere, the massive Louder Than Ever doubles down on the riffage (word?).

It’s a track which captures Daughtry at their most accessible, singalong best, as they deliver 3-minutes of pristine “driving-with-the-top-down” hard rock, the likes of which hasn’t been heard since nu-metal polluted the music scene more than a decade ago.

See also; Never Die and Maybe They’re Already Gone.

Melody is the focal point of Chris Daughtry’s songwriting style.

It’s a skill which separates him from many of his contemporaries (Fuel, Nickelback, Chevelle), whose fans might be tempted to whack the ‘skip’ button when the tempo is slowed down a notch or two, and it provides Daughtry with an extra edge.

Slower numbers like Rescue Me, Losing My Mind, We’re Not Gonna Fall, and Crazy feel like essential listening, each track complete with a top tier chorus and meaningful, relatable lyrics.

Things reach an apex on the heartbreaking Gone Too Soon, which discusses the loss of an unborn child.

From a lyrical perspecitve this is possibly the most challenging topic to write about, because one simply must get it right – and they do.

Placing this track next to the hopeful Lullaby, which was written during the early stages of his wife’s pregnancy, makes for a gut-wrenching listen, and by taking this risk and willingly dropping themselves into deeper waters than they’ve ever previously swam, Daughtry are able to show their true quality.

"Who would you be?
What would you look like,
When you looked at me,
For the very first time?"

GONE TOO SOON

Fans of Daughtry may have been concerned upon first hearing that the band would be trading their usual sound for mainstream rock, but their gamble has paid off in spades.

If anything, it feels like this is the kind of music they were always meant to make.

From the radio-friendly rock of Renegade and Louder Than Ever, to the heartfelt lyrics of Rescue Me and Crazy, right through to the moody, feedback-laden guitars of Who’s They and Maybe We’re Already Gone, there are more memorable moments on Break The Spell than many bands experience in their whole career.

A triumph!