In early 2013, many fans were caught off guard when they learned that Adam Gontier was leaving Three Days Grace. A band he co-founded and was the leading voice of, with three platinum-selling and one gold-selling albums from their 2003 debut, 2006’s One-X, 2009’s Life Starts Now, to 2012’s Transit of Venus, some wondered what would become of them. Then, the talented Matt Walst stepped in to take over as lead vocalist with many uncertainties. Answering the call, Matt Walst took his experience with his band My Darkest Days into Three Days Grace and led them through three more chart-topping albums, including 2015’s Human, 2018’s Outsider, and 2022’s Explosions.
A fantastic tale of success in the face of adversity, Three Days Grace has separated themselves as one of the best-selling Hard Rock bands of the last twenty-plus years, and it is still going. Then, as a complete surprise to many, Adam Gontier officially returned to Three Days Grace in October 2024, not to replace Matt Walst, but to join him as dual lead vocals. A fascinating development: fans were given a chance to see the two share the singing, and it was all on display with their latest album, 2025’s Λ𝖫𝖨𝖤𝖭Λ𝖳𝖨Ø𝖭. The band’s eighth overall studio album, it is the first with both Adam Gontier and Matt Walst, and certainly does not disappoint. Excited to see the journey has come full circle for all involved. Both Adam Gontier and Matt Walst sat down to talk about Three Days Grace, their work together, and more.
Cryptic Rock – It goes without saying that Three Days Grace has been tremendously successful through the years. With that in mind, you have both been a big part of that success. You have also had fascinating stories. Obviously, Adam, originally of Three Days Grace, went on to Saint Asonia and had success with that band. Matt, you had My Darkest Days, then came into Three Days Grace, and had success in both areas. How would you describe your journeys in music to this point?
Adam Gontier – Pretty amazing. To be honest, ten years ago, back in 2013, when I left, it was a darker period in the whole thing. Looking back on all of it, it’s pretty incredible that you could have this opportunity, in general, to be able to write and perform music for a living, and to be able to do it for so long. It’s just amazing.
Cryptic Rock – Absolutely. How about yourself, Matt? You have also been on a very special journey.
Matt Walst – Yeah, it’s been a crazy ride. It’s come around full circle, to be able to be on stage with Adam, singing backups, and then him singing some of my tunes that I sang with Three Days Grace. It’s pretty awesome to be at this point in our careers and to be still playing music for a living. We never take that for granted.
Cryptic Rock – This all leads us to now. Adam, you are officially back with Three Days Grace, and the band released a brand-new album, Λ𝖫𝖨𝖤𝖭Λ𝖳𝖨Ø𝖭, at the end of August 2025. What led to the reunion and to all of you working together?
Adam Gontier – I think Matt and Brad were discussing it, probably back around early 2020, around when the pandemic happened. Then Brad brought it to me. I was in from the get-go, for sure. The last bunch of years, I feel I had a lot of life to live and a lot of stuff to learn and go through to get to a point where I could really do this properly. The timing was just great, and it was a no-brainer for me, for sure.
Cryptic Rock – It is exciting to see. A lot of people were caught by surprise and really excited by that, honestly. Now, Matt, when you joined up and took over, you were obviously busy with My Darkest Days. My Darkest Days went on some big tours; you toured with Nickelback, playing places like Madison Square Garden in NYC. What was it like when this opportunity came to you, and things were going pretty well with My Darkest Days?
Matt Walst – Yeah. It was crazy times. I was having dinner with Brad, and it was like, “Well, this is happening, so you better get on your singing shoes and learn the songs.” I remember being like, “Yeah, right.” Then it became a reality that I had eight weeks to get together to sing these songs and prepare for a co-headlining tour with Shinedown. It was crazy times, but it fueled me and made me grow. Now, looking back, I’m thankful we’re here.
It’s a full circle. Growing up, I always looked up to Adam as a vocalist. If it wasn’t for Adam, I would have never picked up a guitar. Brad would have never picked up a guitar. It’s because of him getting us involved in music; I wouldn’t have pursued My Darkest Days back in the day.
Cryptic Rock – It is really fascinating to see how it has all come full circle for everyone. Obviously, we grow as people over time. At least we should. That is the way life should be, right? We should learn from mistakes and become better people. With that said, who had the foresight to see this would happen? You say “Never say never,” right?
Adam Gontier – Yeah. I always thought this might become a reality. I always had that in the back of my mind. I’m not too sure what the future holds. I definitely had to grow as a person before anything else. I had a couple of kids, and that really puts everything into perspective. The things that mattered to me back in 2012 were small, petty things that really don’t mean anything these days.
Cryptic Rock – It is all part of life. We all grow and reflect on things. Looking at the new album, Λ𝖫𝖨𝖤𝖭Λ𝖳𝖨Ø𝖭 has some really great songs. What was it like putting this album together, and everyone collaborating as a team?
Adam Gontier – It was great. The project was a lot of fun and pretty easy. From day one, we got together at Barry’s (Stock) place in Indiana. We sat down in the studio, everybody and guitars. First and foremost, we grew up in the same small town, so we’re all friends before the band ever took off. We have that. That’s what’s kept us grounded, able to sit in a room together, throw ideas around, and write songs. When we got together to do it this time around, it wasn’t really that different. The songs came fairly easily. It’s been really good.
Cryptic Rock – How about yourself, Matt? How was the experience of working as a team with everyone?
Matt Walst – It’s awesome. We’re into sports a lot. We work as a team. Even before shows, my brother’s like our coach; he’ll give us a pep talk before we get on stage and get us amped up.
Cryptic Rock – That is very cool. A common thread across Three Days Grace’s albums is that you guys explore a wide range of emotions, from frustration and anger to hope and positivity. For example, the new song on the album, “Dominate,” is invigorating and powerful. That is what makes the music so connective. Is it vital for you to run the gamut of emotions?
Matt Walst – Yeah. We like to put together a diverse album with many different subject matters, heavier and lighter songs, and that touches on all sorts of emotions and feelings. Three Days Grace’s strength is applying the songs to people’s lives, helping them get through dark times or find hope to get through to the next day and climb the mountain.
Cryptic Rock – Right. That is a song too, “Climbing the Mountain.”As stated, that is part of the music’s connectivity, which is why people keep gravitating toward Three Days Grace’s music. Λ𝖫𝖨𝖤𝖭Λ𝖳𝖨Ø𝖭 also runs those emotions. You talk about getting it out there, letting feelings out. When we are younger, we have a little more angst and we are a little more pissed off, let’s be honest. As songwriters, how would you say your perspective has changed on life as you get older, writing songs?
Adam Gontier – It changes a bit. When we first started writing music, we were 14 years old and listening to Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and stuff. It was all pretty raw. The influence there has never gone away. We’ve always been from a place of anger, frustration, isolation, or something. Regardless of how old you are or how your life looks from the outside, there are always things that create those situations where you want to get something out. It’s cliché to say it, but it’s a form of therapy. We’re still getting out feelings that maybe we wouldn’t usually throw out there. It’s still the same thing, but a little bit different.
Cryptic Rock – When you are younger, you write about basically what your own personal experiences are, with frustration with life. As you said, Adam, you are a dad now. You are concerned about your children’s welfare and the world they are growing up in. It is imagined that those frustrations could be channeled into the music as well.
Adam Gontier – For sure! It’s like “Mayday”: we touched on the state of the world. We’re all along for the ride. Who’s in charge? The world is pretty chaotic, and it feels like nobody’s really got a handle on it. A song like “Mayday” is written about that, but it can still relate to different people in different ways.
Cryptic Rock – Agreed. It is also interesting to see how you approach the vocals together for Λ𝖫𝖨𝖤𝖭Λ𝖳𝖨Ø𝖭. How did you guys decide who would sing when, where, and such?
Adam Gontier – Rock, paper, scissors.
Matt Walst – That’s how we started. It was rock, paper, scissors, who was going to sing the next part. It just came naturally. Some of the lines fit each of our voices differently. We had three producers on this record. Then we had Howard Benson come in at the end. We recorded the vocals with him. We left a few songs up to him regarding the placement of the vocals.
We both sing, whereas in other bands with two singers, it’s either the rapper or the singer. We both have different things in our voices that we used on this record.
Adam Gontier – It got lucky in the sense that our voices actually sound good together. It could have been a lot worse — where it just didn’t work — but it just works. We didn’t really know that—or we wouldn’t have—until we got in the studio and laid everything down.
Matt Walst – Having two singers adds a dynamic where your ears hear one guy with a different voice, then another guy with a different voice. It has a dynamic that keeps it interesting throughout the songs.
Cryptic Rock – Most certainly. Each album has been strong, but this is the most diverse because it features two voices. That makes it much more varied. In that regard, you both have different voices, which adds something to the songs. You said you would not have known until you got into the studio, but you guys did some live shows.
Adam Gontier – Just a couple. Yeah. These guys were coming through Huntsville, Alabama, and Nashville, my area. That was before we even actually decided to get it going. Got up on stage and sang a few songs with these guys. It was really good. It was a little nerve-wracking just because it was the first time I was on stage for these guys in forever.
There were a lot of people there, but it was cool. We obviously knew that live we can sing and do harmonies, etc. Hearing it on the record, the two roles, and how it was going to work, was something that we had to do in the studio.
Cryptic Rock – Very interesting. It is a bit different nowadays. What was the experience like in the studio? Did you all work together in the studio?
Adam Gontier – Yeah, it’s quite a bit different now. The drums and bass were recorded in Canada, up in Peterborough—basically, our hometown in a studio there. Then Barry recorded his parts, and we recorded vocals in LA. The guitars and vocals were done in LA, and the drums and bass were in Canada. We didn’t do it live together off the floor or anything like that. We used to do that, but nowadays, you don’t really have to. Matt and I flew to LA, stayed there for about 10 days, and recorded all the vocals. It’s great.
Cryptic Rock – It is great that you two were able to work together in the studio as vocalists. What was that like, feeding off each other? Was there energy there, splitting things up and working together?
Matt Walst – Yeah, for sure. We were cheering each other on when we got good takes. Working with Howard Benson is always fun. He’s very talented at harmonies, placement, and things that you wouldn’t think of. It’s a lot of fun.
Cryptic Rock – Fantastic. What can you tell us about extensive touring plans?
Adam Gontier – We went out on a six-week co-headline tour with Breaking Benjamin. Then we got a little bit of time off, and then we head to Europe in November. We’re going to be busy this year. We’ll be busy next year as well—plans to go out in 2026.
Cryptic Rock – It sounds like it will be a great run of shows with this new material in hand. As mentioned, Three Days Grace has been one of the most successful modern Rock bands over the past 20 years, as evidenced by the numbers and the things you guys have accomplished. What do you attribute the success to?
Adam Gontier – I think it’s music and the quality of the music. We’ve been really fortunate that the songs that we write really resonate with people on a pretty deep level. That’s amazing in itself. That’s pretty rare, and we’re super grateful for that. We never take it for granted. The other part of it is a lot of touring—a lot of hard work. When I left the band, these guys didn’t miss a beat. They just kept going. It takes a lot of work. I think the band’s success is due to its music and the hard work it has put in over the years.
Cryptic Rock – Right. What about you, Matt? When you came in, like you said, you were taken aback. You did not believe that they were asking you to come in and take over like this. You didn’t miss a beat either. You helped them achieve a lot of success, including many big hit singles. Did you put pressure on yourself?
Matt Walst – Oh, yeah. Big time. It was definitely scary at first. I had to grow thicker skin and improve. In my old band, I didn’t have a guitar for only two songs in our set. When I joined Three Days Grace, the guitar was gone. I had to be the frontman. I had to step up to the plate.
Cryptic Rock – Well, here we are today. Adam, you mentioned that when you stepped away from the band, you went on to work with Mike and do Saint Asonia, released a few records and EPs, toured, and put out some good material. What was that experience like for you, and how do you apply that to returning to Three Days Grace?
Adam Gontier – The experience was cool. It was nice. When I initially left Three Days, Mike Mushok consistently reached out to me just because we had known him for years, touring with Staind and stuff. He was always checking in to see how I was doing.
Then he was working on a solo record at the time. We got together and started writing for that. That turned into Saint Asonia just because we ended up writing a bunch of songs than we thought we would. That process was great. Saint Asonia is still a band, and we’re still going to put out some stuff down the road after we have a break from this.
It was just a continuation of learning how to write songs and the whole thing. It was just a great experience over the last 10 years.
Cryptic Rock – Saint Asonia has also produced a lot of good music. Matt, on the other hand, came from My Darkest Days, as said. How did you change as a songwriter moving into Three Days Grace?
Matt Walst – Yeah. I’ve learned a lot over the years. As a musician, you have to keep growing. Keep learning. Always be a student. Once you think you know everything, that’s when, as a musician, you start not growing. You stay the same. I’m always a student of songwriting, music, and performing, and I always want to get better.
Cryptic Rock – That is a great outlook. Going back to the beginning, you both traveled some really incredible journeys, very unpredictable, like anything in life. What would you think are the most important things you’ve learned from your musical journeys leading up to now?
Adam Gontier – That’s a good question. What Matt just said about constantly learning and being open to outside things. As a songwriter, over the last 10 years in Saint Asonia, I got into this thing where I was writing with outside writers, co-writers, bringing in different people. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is to be open-minded. Back when I left Three Days Grace, I wasn’t necessarily as open-minded as I am now about outside writers, writing different things, and pursuing different ideas and all that. That’s one of the more important things I’ve learned over the past few years.
Matt Walst – Yeah. That’s a big one.
Cryptic Rock – It is a lesson for life in general, too. Just being open-minded and not selling yourself short.
Adam Gontier – Exactly. Absolutely.
Cryptic Rock – What about yourself, Matt? Looking back, My Darkest Days was out promoting Sick & Twisted Affair in 2012 with in-stores, etc. Those who were around for all of that saw that you genuinely cared about what you were doing.
Matt Walst – Oh, yeah. Back then, we used to rehearse so much and wanted to be the best we could be. We went a little overboard with rehearsing. We played the same four chords and chorus over and over again so that we could do it in our sleep. It was a little overkill, but looking back, that’s what we needed to do at the time to succeed.
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