Daughtry – Shock To The System (Part One) (EP Review)

Renowned US rock outfit Daughtry releases the first of two joint EPs which return to a much more aggressive hard-rock sound.

Since his stint on the 5th season of American Idol in 2006, Chris Daughtry has become one of the most enduring and beloved musicians to ever emerge from the show. After forming his own band later that year, appearing as frontman, lead singer and guitarist, the world was in the palm of the singer’s hands as he continued to charm thrilled audiences around the world with his catchy radio-friendly rock tracks.

After landing several number 1 albums on the Billboard charts, the band started leaning towards a more pop-oriented sound, with Daughtry’s powerful vocals fuelling emotionally charged ballads that effortlessly flaunted his impressive vocal range. With the band’s new E.P ‘Shock To The System (Part One)’ however, Daughtry makes a triumphant return to hard rock with 6 energetic tracks that spark with zippy tempos and ever moving emotional cores; a sound that will no doubt appeal massively to fans of the band’s heavier debut album ‘Daughtry’.

The band wastes no time in getting to business in the opening track ‘The Reckoning’, which begins with a rousing guitar riff and an upbeat drum beat. Daughtry’s famously husky vocals are introduced to listeners as he sings “This is for the sorrow, this is for the rage”; a line that soon ignites the singer’s fervour and wakes the beast behind his initially restrained vocals. The powerful resonance of his voice is fully awoken within the song’s fiery pre-chorus where guitar, bass, drums and vocals are turned up to eleven while heading towards the song’s extremely singable chorus. Daughtry sounds both proud and furious as he leaves nothing behind on lines like “I’m face to face with the demons inside of me, they won’t be the death of me”. ‘The Reckoning’ is only the very start of the singer’s emotional celebration of his inner-strength and resilience, but it is nevertheless no less mighty than the album’s other offerings.

First released in August 2023, the second track ‘Artificial’ is a rip-roaring hard rock track with a vengeance. Transitioning epically from a restrained, tension-filled verse, to a tumultuous chorus where the vocalist sneers “Welcome to your worst nightmare, days are gettin’ dark you should be scared”. The song goes on to compare the actions of an estranged lover to that of something “Ice cold, mechanical, artificial”, and erupts with the unholy vigour and rage that the singer is truly capable of when returning to his heavy music roots.

The following track ‘Pieces’ is entirely sobering in its inspirations – written after the artist’s devastating loss of two close family members. The vocalist doesn’t hesitate to lay himself completely bare within deeply introspective lyrics (“I’ll never get over it, it’s hard to move on, But I’m learning to live with the pieces of me”); allowing himself to use music as an outlet for his pain. It’s not just the band’s stunning songwriting that is on show here, but also the true emotional force of the vocalist that is unleashed from the beginning of the track, hitting listeners like a wrecking ball of pure anguish.

The singer revisits these forlorn feelings in ‘Shock To The System’, where he recalls the need for “something to bring me back to life” after times of great heartbreak and change. An anthemic chorus carries the commanding air of this sentimental message and bolsters it with thunderous riffs and bubbly synths. Many listeners will be able to relate to these feelings of losing control and feeling helpless and will therefore be comforted by this hopeful track. If not, there is still an undeniably moving element to Daughtry’s voice and lyrics that will speak to people from all walks of life.

The subdued yet piercing ‘Nervous’ provides a stimulating change of pace for the album, as well as being an affectingly reflective track exploring the headspace and feelings leftover after suffering through trauma. “Will I ever be the same? No, I’ll never be the same” Daughtry sings, revealing that these experiences will leave a person irrevocably transformed, yet stronger for pushing through the trials that life deals us. The singer’s transition from soft and mournful tones to rage-filled will be enough to raise goosebumps on listeners’ arms in rapt fascination at this song’s haunting beauty.

‘The Dam’ has more than enough power and energy to close ‘Shock To The System (Part One)’ on a high. The vocalist takes advantage of ‘The Dam’s hardcore sound to release a barrage of pent-up emotions into the ether as he switches between smoothly delivered clean vocals and strangled shouts of angst. “The dam’s about to break, I’m standing on the brink” he calls in the chorus; reminding us that music can be the best kind of tool to arrange and express our feelings during our most trying times.

Score/Excellent: After almost two decades doing what he does best, Daughtry is still worthy of widespread recognition for how far he has come since his whirlwind beginnings. His music has also grown far past his earlier days of pop-rock; ‘Shock To The System (Part One)’ showing to fans that the singer is at his best singing fierce hard rock with an outstanding emotional core.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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