Conviction (Aiden album)
| Conviction | ||||||||||||
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| Studio album by Aiden | ||||||||||||
| Released | August 21, 2007 | |||||||||||
| Recorded | May 2007 at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle, WA | |||||||||||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||||||||||
| Length | 37:17 | |||||||||||
| Label | Victory Records | |||||||||||
| Producer | John Goodmanson | |||||||||||
| Aiden chronology | ||||||||||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Drowned in Sound |   link |
| Kerrang! | |
| Metal Hammer | |
| NME | |
| Punknews.org |  link |
| Q | |
| Rock Sound | |
| Spin | link |
| Sputnikmusic | link |
| Total Guitar | |
Conviction is Aiden's third studio album which was released August 21, 2007.[1] It is the first of their releases to carry a Parental Advisory sticker although it is not the first to contain profanity. Best Buy editions of the album contain the 2 exclusive bonus tracks "Here Lies the Waste" and "So Far Away".[2] The album has been one of the band's most commercially successful albums to date. The first single from the album, "One Love", was released on their MySpace page on July 23, 2007.
Conviction is the last Aiden album to feature guitarist Jake Wambold, who was fired from the band in 2008. The band finished recording after their brief UK arena tour supporting Lostprophets and returned to the UK again to play the Download Festival before doing a more complete tour in support of the album.
Style
The album has marked a completely different musical direction for the band, departing from the punk rock sound from their first two albums for a lighter sound.
Speaking to Kerrang! in 2009, Francis explained:
Every record that we've done, being the main songwriter for the band, has been a reflection of what's going on in my personal life. So yeah, Nightmare was pissed but by the time we did Conviction I'd achieved so many of the things that I've always dreamed of doing: walking out on the main stage of the Warped Tour, playing all summer long with NOFX, touring with HIM, played Download in front of 50,000 people. With Conviction I wasn't pissed. I wasn't angry and that came through in the music. I was a bit bummed that some Aiden fans turned away from it because I was a little bit more melodic or a little bit different from what they had been expecting from us but I don't sit down and think, 'If I write this it will sell bucketloads' because I wouldn't be able to sleep at night thinking that way.[3]
Track listing
All songs written and composed by wiL Francis.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Opening Departure" | 2:00 |
| 2. | "She Will Love You" | 4:21 |
| 3. | "Teenage Queen" | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Hurt Me" | 3:26 |
| 5. | "One Love" | 3:27 |
| 6. | "Moment" | 3:46 |
| 7. | "Darkness" | 3:51 |
| 8. | "Son of Lies" | 3:22 |
| 9. | "Believe" | 3:09 |
| 10. | "Bliss" | 3:20 |
| 11. | "The Sky is Falling" | 3:07 |
| Best Buy bonus tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 12. | "Here Lies the Waste" | 3:08 |
| 13. | "So Far Away" | 3:21 |
Artwork
Artist Alex Pardee who worked on the artwork for some of The Used's albums created the artwork for Conviction.
Chart positions
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 54 |
| US Independent Albums | 5 |
| US Rock Albums | 15 |
| US Hard Rock Albums | 6 |
| US Alternative Albums | 15 |
Personnel
- wiL Francis - lead vocals, piano
- Angel Ibarra - lead guitar
- Jake Wambold - rhythm guitar
- Nick Wiggins - bass, backing vocals
- Jake Davison - drums, percussion
References
- ↑ Release date for Conviction
- ↑ Best Buy page detailing bonus tracks
- ↑ Griffiths, Mark. Kerrang! #1261, May 16, 2009. Treasure Chest. An Intimate Portrait Of Life In Rock. wiL Francis, p. 58
