Released by: Napalm Records
Release Date: Out Now!
Genre: Rock
Links: https://scottstapp.com/
Album Line-up:
Scott Stapp — lead vocals
Sammy Hudson — bass, backing vocals
Ben Flanders — guitar, backing vocals
Yiannis Papadopoulos — lead guitar
Dango Empire — drums
Tracklist:
- World I Used To Know
- Name
- Purpose For Pain
- Heaven In Me
- Survivor
- Wake Up Call
- Face Of The Sun
- Red Clouds
- Gone Too Soon
- Ready To Love
- Mary’s Crying
- Last Hallelujah
Returning with his third solo album, Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Scott Stapp has released The Space Between The Shadows via Napalm Records. Drawing on the personal experiences that have shaped his life over the past six years since the release of his last album, Scott has presented an album that listeners can instantly connect with. Discussing the concept of the album, Scott explains, “When you’re looking dead-on down a dark tunnel, everything turns to shadow. But when you start to take one day at a time, you begin to see the space between the shadows. At that point, you begin to see the light and the colour. The world begins to takes shape in a whole new way.”
Opening with the heavy and melodic ‘World I Used To Know’, the song lays bare the problems that we all face in these troubling times. Ballad-like ‘Name’ explores unflinching confrontation. The dark and brooding ‘Purpose for the Pain’ was an excellent choice for a first single. Discussing the song, Scott explains, “Purpose for Pain is about seeking a higher meaning, a spiritual mentality when dealing with life’s painful moments. Everyone goes through unexplainable, dark times and that pain is real. If we can just hold on to hope during the most difficult situations, believing there is a purpose waiting for us on the other side, we can find meaning and clarity to keep fighting.”
The bluesy ‘Heaven in Me’ really displays Scott’s vocal prowess, as it’s framed by acoustic guitar and synths. The metal-edged ‘Survivor’ has an almost Shinedown feel to it as Scott declares to the world that he will be OK. The introspective ‘Wake Up Call’ is a simple, but effective song. Like ‘Purpose for the Pain’ this has to be one of the stand-out tracks on the album and is ready for heavy radio play. As the album rounds out, we have hard rocker, ‘Face the Sun’ followed by the more Creed-esque ‘Red Clouds’ and U2-esque ‘Gone Too Soon’. ‘Gone Too Soon’ was inspired by the losses of Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington and Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell, as Scott explains, “Those deaths hit me hard,” says Stapp. “First and foremost, we lost those guys way too soon and it’s heart-breaking. For me, a lot resurfaced…the kinds of questions I was asking myself twenty years ago at the height of Creed’s success. Things like ‘Why do I feel this way? What’s wrong with me?’ Depression is an illness that doesn’t discriminate.” Closing the album are ‘Ready To Love’, ‘Mary’s Crying’, and ‘Last Hallelujah’ which underlines the positive message that is spread throughout the album – that you can overcome your demons and embrace life once again.
Written and recorded with producers Marti Frederiksen and Scott Stevens at Sienna Studio, The Space Between The Shadows is referred to by Scott Stapp as the most personal album he’s ever written, and there can be no denying that it gets right to the core of the complicated frontman. No stranger to depths a person can fall to, this album serves as a reminder of what Scot is capable off. A revitalisation of his talent, his vocal prowess, and his presence as one of the best singers of his generation, this album serves to propel him back into the music consciousness. I can highly recommend adding this to your musical collection. It’s 12 solid tracks that will not disappoint.
Ratings: 9/10 
Written by: Erik De’Viking
My Global Mind – UK Editor
Erik De’Viking is a London based freelance music journalist. His musical interests include music in all its forms, and he is constantly on the lookout for new bands and genres to discover and later preach about to the masses.
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