Story of the Year – Our Time Is Now

Story of the Year – Our Time Is Now / 2008 Image / 100 Minutes / http://www.image-entertainment.com /

I had no idea that Story of the Year had been around since 1995. I also thought, for whatever reason, that the band was from Canada. Anyways, “Our Time Is Now” showcases what happened to the band in the two years after SOTY enjoyed their tenth anniversary as a band. October 2005 marks the beginning point of this documentary, which begins just after the band’s second full-length album, “In The Wake of Determination”, was released. Anything that one could conceivably guess that a band would encounter on the road occurs, but the best parts of this DVD for me really come in the numerous performances that are captured throughout the period.

Thus, there is a killer version of “Stereo” that was lifted from a show in Providence, Rhode Island, as well as a version of “Meathead” from Norfolk, Virginia that changes up the studio version completely. Skating seems to go forth hand in hand with the band’s activities, meaning that the live version of “Our Time Is Now” is bookended with a skate session by the members of the band that shows that, if they decide to move away from the band, a semi-pro skate career could be in the cards. In regards to the actual documentary features, the thing that shocked me the most is their performance of “Taste The Poison” live in Sydney (Australia). This is not because the band was solid in their performance (they were), but that SOTY has such a large fan base even in the Australian fan market. The DVD is filled with extra features, as well. This means that there are “making the band” style featurettes for both “We Don’t Care Anymore” and “Take Me Back”, which culminate in the showing of the video themselves.

The deleted scenes are fun to watch, and give further insight to the band that may not have come out quite as easily during the documentary. Finally, the look into the creation of “In The Wake of Determination” is the final cherry on top of the band’s sundae, where individuals can see how rough the creation of an album really can be. The release of “Our Time Is Now” could not have came at a better time: the act is still sailing high from the release of their newest album, “The Black Swan”, and wants to go into their headlining spot on Warped Tour with as high of momentum as possible.

Rating: 8.0/10

Sargeant

John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.

Beats: Independent Music, PC Gaming & Peripherals, Consumer Tech, Webmaster Tools

Testing & Ethics: All hardware, software, and media reviews are conducted through hands-on evaluation in accordance with NeuFutur’s editorial independence standards; sponsored consideration is strictly excluded from editorial ratings.

Contact: editor@neufutur.com