Bringing Down the Giant is the third studio album by American rock band Saving Abel and was released on July 17, 2012. It debuted and peaked at number 74 on the Billboard 200 chart. It was the last album to feature original lead singer Jared Weeks before his departure from the band at the end of 2013.
| Bringing Down the Giant | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 17, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, post-grunge | |||
| Length | 44:55 | |||
| Label | E1 Music | |||
| Producer | Skidd Mills | |||
| Saving Abel chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Bringing Down the Giant | ||||
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Background
editAfter touring non-stop since "Addicted" became hit in 2008 and writing their second album Miss America practically while on the road, Saving Abel took six months off to write their third album. In the writing sessions for the new album, the band avoided any sort of restrictions; the only rule was that the song had to be good and after that, it didn't matter what genre the song fell into. The time off between the road and the studio also enabled the group to take a step back and reflect before beginning work on new material, something the band was never given the time to do before recording Miss America.[1]
"We toured so many places in such a short amount of time and it really did us some good as far as writing goes. It’s great to be able to actually step away for a minute and think about what you want to do, what you want to represent, and who you want to become. Once we got that figured out, we just sat in the studio and did one thing, and that was we didn't argue – if a song was good then it was good. It didn't matter if it was Christian, Country, Pop…I think that’s one of the things that’s going to show through on this album once you listen to it. You will see how versatile it is and how many different genres there are. It’s just something we’re all really proud of."[1]
For the album, Saving Abel teamed up again with producer Skidd Mills who has now worked with the band on each of their three records. In addition to Mills, the band also brought in rock producer Marti Frederiksen to provide a new perspective to the writing process.[1]
Despite the success of Miss America, Virgin didn't pick up the option for third album, leaving the band looking for another label. Shortly thereafter, the band signed on to eOne, to release Bringing Down the Giant.[2] The Saving Abel frontman Jared Weeks told to Alternative Addiction later: “It was one of those moments where they were as glad to sign us as we were to be signed. They came in and did about eight months of work in only two months; they supported us, gave us everything we needed to get going and get back out on the road."[1]
However, the relationship with EOne ended by the end of 2012, due to 'lack of commitment' from the label, according to Weeks, who stated in November 2013: "The last album we had, our label didn't even promote it. A lot of people didn't even know we had a third album."[3] Shortly after, Weeks announced his departure from the band.[4]
Promotion
editThe first single off the album was "Bringing Down the Giant". It was premiered exclusively at Loudwire website on May 14, 2012.[5] An anti-bullying music video, shot at Alcorn Central schools in the band's hometown Corinth, Mississippi, was directed by Kevin J. Custer. and Produced by Tim Gray[6] The song reached No. 37 on the US Billboard Rock charts.[7]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [8] |
| Evigshed | (5/5)[9] |
| Melodic.net | [10] |
| Pop-Break | mixed[11] |
| QRO | (6.7/10)[12] |
| Sea of Tranquility | [13] |
The album received mixed reviews from professional critics.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bringing Down the Giant" | Blair Daly, Skidd Mills, Jason Null, Jared Weeks | 3:53 |
| 2. | "Michael Jackson's Jacket" | Daly, Mills, Null, Weeks | 3:31 |
| 3. | "Amazing" | Marti Frederiksen, Mills, Null, Weeks | 3:24 |
| 4. | "Pine Mountain (The Dance of the Poor Proud Man)" (interlude) | 1:15 | |
| 5. | "You Make Me Sick" | Mills, Null, Weeks | 3:31 |
| 6. | "Pictures of Elvis" | Frederiksen, Mills, Null, Weeks | 3:53 |
| 7. | "New Loser" | Frederiksen, Mills, Null, Weeks | 3:23 |
| 8. | "Me and You" | Mills, Null, Weeks | 3:20 |
| 9. | "I'd Do It Again" | Rodney Clawson, Mills, Null, Weeks | 3:28 |
| 10. | "Bittersweet" | Frederiksen, Mills, Null, Weeks | 3:34 |
| 11. | "Those Who Wait" | Mills, Null, Weeks | 3:39 |
| 12. | "Parachute" | Mills, Null, Weeks | 3:32 |
| 13. | "Constantly" | Scott Bartlett, Mills, Null, Weeks | 4:39 |
| Total length: | 44:55 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Take It Back" | Bobby Huff, Mills, Null, Weeks | 4:01 |
| 15. | "Love Sadistic" | Mark Holman, Mills, Null, Weeks | 3:45 |
| 16. | "My Catastrophe" | Mills, Null, Weeks | 3:45 |
Chart positions
edit| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[14] | 74 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[15] | 25 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[16] | 17 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[17] | 15 |
Personnel
edit- Jared Weeks - lead vocals
- Jason Null - lead guitar
- Scott Bartlett - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Eric Taylor - bass
- Mike McManus - drums
References
edit- ^ a b c d Kastrineli, Alex (August 1, 2012). "Saving Abel's Jared Weeks Talks Bringing Down the Giant". Alternative Addiction. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
- ^ "Saving Abel Sign to eOne Music, Set to Release New Album". Alternative Addiction. May 12, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- ^ Alberico, Joe (November 14, 2013). "Saving Abel: That was then ... this is now". The Pantagraph. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
- ^ Childers, Chad (December 27, 2013). "Saving Abel Frontman Jared Weeks Exits the Band". Loudwire. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ^ Childers, Chad (May 14, 2012). "Saving Abel, 'Bringing Down the Giant' – Exclusive Song Premiere". Loudwire. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
- ^ Barnett, Sheena (May 25, 2012). "Saving Abel shoots anti-bullying video in its hometown". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
- ^ "Saving Abel Album & Song Chart History - Rock Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
- ^ Cherrie, Chrysta. Saving Abel: Bringing Down the Giant > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ Lesas, Sylvie (July 19, 2012). "Saving Abel Bringing Down The Giant Album Review". Evigshed Mag. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ Wippsson, Johan. "Review - Saving Abel - Bringing Down the Giant". Melodic.net. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ Pikaard, Lisa (July 31, 2012). "Album Review: 'Bringing Down the Giant' by Saving Abel". Pop-Break Magazine. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ Fulton, Michaela (January 19, 2013). "Saving Abel Bringing Down the Giant - Album review". QRO Magazine. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- ^ Pardo, Pete (July 10, 2012). "Review: Saving Abel: Breaking Down the Giant". Sea of Tranquility. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
- ^ "Saving Abel Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- ^ "Saving Abel Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Saving Abel Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Saving Abel Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard.