ALBUM REVIEW: A.R.S.O.N BY STORY OF THE YEAR
Reviewed by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
Release Date 13 February 2026
The album title ‘A.R.S.O.N’ an acronym for All Rage Still Only Numb, is a reflection and a call to action that encourages the listener to hang on in life. ‘Ashes to Ashes/ We all fade away’ but how you get there is the bittersweet message of the album. Story Of The Year (Dan Marsala, Ryan Phillips, Josh Wills, and Adam Russell) have crafted a record of metaphorical songs about the urge, as you get older, to watch things burn down occasionally but in the knowledge that there is the resilience to get back up and keep going.
The first three songs on this album are superb. The opening song ‘Gasoline (All Rage Still Only Numb)’ is a call to arms as Dan Marsala sings with urgency: “Fuck it up, burn it down / Cover it all in gasoline / Light the match, turn around / Level it all and flee the scene / Choke it in, spit it out / Make a nightmare into a dream / Cover it all in gasoline”. The strong guitar riffs and melodies, fast drum beats and the ability to move between vocal fry and clean singing frame the song. ‘Disconnected’ begins with delicate guitar before the screaming and spiralling big guitar riff squall cuts in. The clean, smooth singing about withdrawals, addiction and life crashing down is reflected in the pre-chorus of: “I would die a million times / To feel the way I did one time / I wish that I could make you see / It’s not the way it had to be”. Then, the fantastic ‘See Through’ is a big rock song with a melodic punch. The song is tight, sharp, and catchy as hell without losing edge. It’s an album highlight. It’s the kind of song with that melody line that sneaks into your ears and refuses to leave.
Then, the album changes with distortion opening ‘Fall Away’ that signals a change in style with rap being introduced into the melodic rock of big guitars, snappy drums, and Dan Marsala’s ability to articulate life’s mistakes and the need for control in a world that is chaos. And then, another change with a more pop feel in ‘3am’. The mid-tempo pop with echoing technique is clever and always features heavy vocal fry to stand out and breathe out the emotion in a restrained way. It’s another album highlight. Following is another change in musical style with the alt-rock of ‘Into The Dark’ with its amazing singalong anthemic chorus. It is a hard-hitting song reflecting loss and death in the verses as the protagonist sings “losing my sight/ chasing the night/on the edge and about to let go”.
Story Of The Year then deliver a love song in ‘My Religion’. The frenetic drum beat, acoustic and electric guitars frame the disease of religion/love is “truth” and “my belief”. Then, the angels ‘Halos’ is about the pain and hollow world we live in. The song features an abrasive screamed/sung pre-chorus: “This madness in my head / Will leave me broken again / Face down on the pavement / Reaching for halos or the end”. The driving guitar, the amazing guitar solo and subtle guitar melodic riff underpinning the song are beautiful as they drive smoothness and urgency. ‘Good For Me / Feel So Bad’ has that stadium guitar sound with the classic drums and the bassline thumps. The song talks about the need for self-care: “If it’s good for me, why does it feel so bad?”.
Story Of The Year place two unusual songs together: ‘Better Than High’ is a lovely acoustic ballad that speaks of the power of love: “There’s still a point to love”. Then, the ‘ARSON’ album closes out with the power ballad ‘I Don’t Wanna Feel Like This Anymore’. It’s hard, heavy with chugging guitar riffs and a huge singalong chorus.
Story Of the Year have delivered a great 11 song album full of melodic hard rock with lots of surprises in the mix. It’s an album that shows a band at their career apex and not afraid to let great songwriting paired with musical skill to expose the nightmares and joys in life. Impressive!
