Art of Dying – Rise Up

If you set out on an excursion to the cold wintry frontiers of hard rock, you would find a four-man group from Vancouver there. Jonny Hetherington is the leader of this outfit and he is the embodiment of the commitment and dedication to perfection that defines the band. Desperate to refine his songwriting, singing and guitar-playing skills, he hit the frigid street corners of his hometown for hours of thankless busking. But even in those days as a budding artist playing for everyone, anyone and no one, some folks saw the seeds of greatness in Jonny and gave him the fuel he needed to make his dreams a reality.

After gaining some hard-earned experience on the streets, Jonny decided to try and gather a couple of like-minded musicians to realize his vision. The first to come across his path was drummer Jeff Brown. Even as a pair they got right into thrashing out the skeleton of Hetherington’s musical ideas. Recordings of these initial sessions were what got them noticed by Dan Donegan of Chicago megaband Disturbed. “I was blown away when I first heard their demo. I lived with it for quite a while and I was so impressed with the quality of the songwriting that I had a feeling there was something special going on,” admits Donegan. To prove they could deliver the same magic live, Disturbed invited the as yet incomplete Art of Dying to tour with them. It was on the eve of this first ever series of gigs that bassist Cale Gontier and guitarist Tavis Stanley were brought on-board.

Somehow the band managed to give a good account of themselves and shortly they began work on their major label debut. ‘Vices and Virtues’, co-produced by Donegan, drew positive reviews and gave the band’s growing fan base something they could sink their teeth into. Keen to capitalize on the love that 2011 album received, Jonny and his crew are back with a barnstorming new release entitled ‘Rise Up’. Speaking about the 13-strong song set, Jonny says, “…a lot of the lyrical content on this album is about the idea of overcoming adversity.” And you won’t need to go beyond the first track ‘Best Won’t Do’ for this to become clear. As the drums are kicked into a frantic gallop, a conversation between Jonny and a detractor ensues. “Why does everything have to be so difficult, you do your best, just to wind up typical. It’s no matter what you, choose, you lose. Your best won’t do,” goes the chorus, mimicking the words of the pessimists in our lives. AOD’s response is resounding, “The words that you have spoken mean nothing to me now, the promises you’ve broken won’t drag me to the ground!”

The positive affirmation continues on the title track in which Jonny, yelling above jagged riffs, informs haters and hard times that he won’t fold without a fight. And neither will he let fear paralyze him. Entranced by the lead singer’s forceful delivery and the steam from the fiery shredding, you will not help but become a disciple of Hetherington’s church of no limits. ‘Tear Down The Wall’ preaches the same gospel just as furiously, but under a welcome change of pace. There’s a whiff of reggae about the chorus as you hear it in ‘Englishman in New York’ and other songs that made Sting and The Police the rock gods they are.

Given how unique and engaging all the cuts are, picking highlights in Rise Up is a futile task. Radio DJs will probably choose ‘Everything’ for their listeners, catchy as it is. You give it a spin and see if you can pick a song.

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by Phil Kim, RockRevolt Journalist