genre rock

Canadian rockers Three Days Grace have never played it safe. For over two decades, they’ve delivered some of rock’s most anthemic gut punches—”I Hate Everything About You,” “Animal I Have Become,” and “Never Too Late”—while weathering lineup changes, shifting sounds, and carving out a legacy that refuses to fade.

Now, they’re flipping the script once again. Original frontman Adam Gontier is back, but not as a replacement—he’s teaming up with Matt Walst in a rare, dual-frontman powerhouse. Instead of a passing of the torch, it’s a collision of past and present, rewriting the band’s next chapter in real-time.

“I grew up same town, watching these guys practice in my basement when I was 12 years old,” Walst tells Billboard. “So I’ve always been a big fan of the band. It’s pretty cool to see this happen.”

This reunion had been years in the making. Gontier made a surprise appearance with Three Days Grace in 2023, igniting rumors of a comeback. By October 2024, the band made it official after dropping a video of Gontier and Walst linking up at the studio. For the first time, Three Days Grace would have two lead singers.

If the reaction from fans was explosive, the impact on the charts was just as immediate.

Their first single as a dual-fronted band, “Mayday,” skyrocketed to No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. It marked their 18th No. 1–the first featuring vocals from Gontier since “Misery Loves My Company” in 2013.

“We knew people would freak out about it, but I didn’t think it would fly up to No. 1 on Billboard in five weeks to No.1,” Walst says. “It’s now sat there for five weeks. It’s been No. 1 for half the time it’s been out. We’re blown away by it. It’s crazy.”

With new music and a massive tour alongside Disturbed on the horizon, the next big question became—how do two powerhouse singers split up vocal duties?

“We start rehearsals next week, and then we’re out on tour with Disturbed across America, and it will be the first time we’ve gone through the songs together,” explains Walst, who took on the role of frontman in 2013.

For older songs originally sung by Gontier, Walst says, “I’m playing guitar and singing harmonies, backups.” Meanwhile, for songs from his own tenure, “he’s playing guitar and singing backups, and then for the new song we’re gonna sing together.”

Walst has a deep respect for Gontier’s talent, particularly his vocal range. “He can sing really, really high, he can hit notes that way, way up there. It’s insane.”

That ability, Walst believes, has only grown stronger over time. “It’s pretty cool to watch,” he added.

But when it came to recording their first tracks as a two-frontman band, they took an unconventional approach to deciding who sings what.

“Sometimes we did rock paper scissors,” Walst laughs. “Like, okay, who’s singing this part?”

“A lot of the time in the studio, it just comes naturally. Who’s gonna sing what and where,” he explains. “It’s been a lot of fun. We have each other’s backs and we cheer each other on when we do a good take. It’s pretty cool to be part of.”

“We get along. We’re both pretty chill people, and we’ve known each other for years and years,” he adds of his relationship with his fellow frontman. “We grew up together. We’re from the same town, so it’s not like if Van Halen singers tried to get together and do a tour.”

With a deep catalog of Billboard rock hits, the band is gearing up for a high-energy setlist, featuring the heavy-hitting sound that has fueled their legacy—only this time, with even more fire behind it.

“I think we’re just gonna bash them over the head with some hits,” Walst jokes.

“We have a lot of heavier songs on this album,” Walst teases. “But we have our ballads too, some lighter stuff. With every album, we like to balance it out with heavier songs and some lighter material, just so there’s diversity in it. ‘Mayday’ would not be the heaviest song on the record, but it’s up there.”

After 20 years of career highs, lineup changes, and countless tours, the band knows longevity in rock isn’t just about surviving—it’s about evolving and not letting egos get in the way of the music. For Walst, that’s never been an issue for the band.

“We don’t get offended if our idea isn’t good enough, or if our suggestion doesn’t go through,” he continues. “It’s about the song. Whatever is best for the song is gonna go.”

“I think it’s just writing about stuff that is going on in our lives or around us, and that people can apply themselves to the music and feel that,” Walst reflects. “If they’re depressed or they can reach on to a song, like ‘Never Too Late,’ or they going through a breakup, listening to ‘I Hate Everything About You.’”

As Three Days Grace kick off their new chapter, Walst is looking forward to what’s ahead.

“When the crowd is going nuts, it fuels me,“ he says about performing live. “The more they go crazy, the more I go crazy. I haven’t been on a stage for a year, and it’s gonna be interesting to get back up there and feel the butterflies and feel that energy again. It’s kind of like a drug you can’t get anywhere else.”