My Darkest Days

My Darkest Days
My Darkest Days performing in 2007
Background information
Also known as	MDD
Origin	Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Hard rock post-grunge
Years active	2005–2013
Labels	604 Mercury
Past members	Matt Walst Reid Henry Brendan McMillan Doug Oliver Chris McMillan Paulo Neta Sal Costa
Website	mydarkestdays.com

My Darkest Days was a Canadian rock band based in Peterborough, Ontario, consisting of lead vocalist Matt Walst, bassist Brendan McMillan, drummer Doug Oliver, guitarist Sal Costa, and keyboardist Reid Henry.^[1] They were discovered by Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, who signed them to his record label, 604 Records.^[2] They are best known for their 2010 single "Porn Star Dancing".

In June 2010 the band went on tour with Sick Puppies, Janus, and It's Alive,^[3] and shot the video for "Porn Star Dancing" in Las Vegas.^[1][4] In August 2010, they toured with Trapt, Skillet, and Papa Roach. Chad Kroeger appears and sings in the "Porn Star Dancing" video, as does American rapper Ludacris (in the extended version only) and Black Label Society frontman Zakk Wylde, playing lead guitar for the single.^[1]

The band disbanded in 2013 after Matt Walst became the lead vocalist of Three Days Grace, which also features his older brother Brad.^[5]

History

Early years

The band was founded by Matt Walst in 2005, who was born in Norwood, Ontario, and whose older brother, Brad Walst, is the bassist for Canadian rock band, Three Days Grace. Instead of playing in his brother's band, Walst decided to form one of his own with his friends Brendan McMillan on bass guitar, Doug Oliver on drums, and Chris McMillan on lead guitar. Chris McMillan left the band and became an electrician being replaced by Paulo Neta. In 2009, a friend introduced Walst to Toronto-based singer/guitarist Sal Costa, who later became the band's guitarist, replacing Paulo Neta, who became the guitarist for Thornley and eventually Big Wreck. My Darkest Days opened for many bands, including Three Days Grace, Default, Theory of a Deadman, Skillet, Papa Roach, Nickelback, and Hinder.^[4]

My Darkest Days won a contest called Rock Search put on by 97.7 HTZ FM in St. Catharines, Ontario in 2008 with "Every Lie". This gave them time in a recording studio publicity in Niagara, Ontario. It gave the band money to tour for a year as well.

Debut album (2009–2011)

Matt Walst live, 2009

When Chad Kroeger heard My Darkest Days' music, he was so impressed he immediately signed them to his record label. Matt Walst gave Chad Kroeger their demo while touring together. The first song they wrote after being signed was "Porn Star Dancing", which became their first single. Kroeger decided he wanted to be featured on it, along with a friend of his, Zakk Wylde, lead vocalist and lead guitarist for Black Label Society and a former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne. Kroeger and Wylde both appear in the video, which was filmed at the Hard Rock Las Vegas Vanity nightclub.^[2] A remix of the single was also released which featured Atlanta rapper Ludacris.^[6] On their official Facebook page, My Darkest Days announced their debut self-titled album was to be released on September 21, 2010. On the album, the song "Set It on Fire" features Australian singer/guitarist Orianthi on lead guitar, known from her work with Steve Vai, Carlos Santana, and Michael Jackson. Also on the album is a collaboration with country-pop singer Jessie James, on the Duran Duran cover "Come Undone".

The Saw 3D soundtrack released on October 26, 2010, features the song "The World Belongs to Me".

My Darkest Days was named the "Best New Band of 2010" by hardDriveXL after hitting the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks ranking, as well as No. 1 on FMQB's Active Rock list.

My Darkest Days' first major-label single, "Porn Star Dancing", went gold in Canada and in the United States.^[7]

In March 2011, My Darkest Days was involved in a bus accident where their Bandwagon RV style bus flipped and fell into a ditch in rural Idaho. No major injuries were incurred, but drummer Doug Oliver suffered a sprained ankle and the band missed one tour date in Boise with Three Days Grace.^[8] It was announced on their Facebook page that they will be entering the studio in October 2011 with Joey Moi of Mountain View Records to start writing new material for their next album.^[9]

Sick and Twisted Affair (2012)

The lead single from their second studio album, "Casual Sex", was released to iTunes on January 17, 2012, and was sent to Canadian rock radios on January 13, 2012.^[10] Their second album, Sick and Twisted Affair, was released on March 26, 2012. It features the singles, "Casual Sex" and "Sick And Twisted Affair". My Darkest Days went on tour with Nickelback, Bush, and Seether in April 2012. They were a part of Nickelback's Here and Now 2012 World Tour. "Save Yourself", taken from Sick and Twisted Affair, was featured on the soundtrack for the hockey video game, NHL 13.^[11] Costa departed from the band in early 2013.

Three Days Grace and side projects (2013–present)

Following frontman Adam Gontier's departure from Three Days Grace in 2013, Matt Walst was brought on as their replacement lead vocalist for their tour, and was later made the permanent lead singer of the band.

Former guitarist Sal Costa formed and fronted the band Smashing Satellites in 2014. Since then, the band has released two EPs and a full album and standalone single as of 2016.^[12][13]

While Walst has been busy with Three Days Grace, MDD bandmates started up side projects of their own. In 2013, Doug Oliver started Cold Creek County, a country music group, with Brandon Scott out of Brighton, Ontario. Reid Henry & Brendan McMillan started a band called "Deadset Society" touring across the US. Their song "Like a Nightmare" reached number 2 on SXM Octane channel and US/Canadian terrestrial Active Rock stations.

In May 2019, following a split in the band, three members of Deadset Society released three singles under a new band name "Tense Machine". The lineup features Dane Hartsell on lead vocals and guitar, Brendan McMillan on bass and Mike Langford on drums and production. Their first single "Best Mistake" reached top 50 at US Active Rock Radio and has over 250,000 streams. In May 2020, the band released a full-length album titled "Echoes", with close to one million online streams.

In June 2020, Reid Henry launched a solo project with his debut single "Monster" (co-written by Brendan McMillan) garnering US Active Rock radio play and hundreds of thousands of streams worldwide. In December 2020, Reid launched his second solo single, "The Blind".

Despite My Darkest Days' extended hiatus, their official social media accounts still remain active.

Members

The band performing at Sudbury Summerfest 2007

Final lineup

• Matt Walst – lead vocals, guitar (2005–2013)
• Reid Henry – keyboards, backing vocals, guitar (2010–2013)
• Brendan McMillan – bass, backing vocals (2005–2013)
• Doug Oliver – drums, percussion (2005–2013)

Former members

• Sal Costa – lead guitar, backing vocals (2010-2012)
• Chris McMillan – lead guitar, backing vocals (2005–2007)
• Paulo Neta – lead guitar, vocals (2008–2009)

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
		CAN [14]	US [15]	US Alt [16]	US Rock [17]
My Darkest Days	Released: September 21, 2010 Label: 604 Formats: CD, digital download	11	38	9	12
Sick and Twisted Affair	Released: March 26, 2012 Label: 604 Formats: CD, digital download	29	29	9	11

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions						Certifications	Album
		CAN [18]	AUS [19]	US [20]	US Alt [21]	US Main [22]	US Rock [23]
2010	"Porn Star Dancing"[24] (featuring Zakk Wylde and Chad Kroeger)	40	—[A]	90	21	1	7	MC: Platinum[26] RIAA: Gold[27]	My Darkest Days
2011	"Move Your Body"	—	—	—	—	23	—
	"Every Lie"	—	—	—	—	24	—
2012	"Casual Sex"	—	—	—	—	22	46		Sick and Twisted Affair
	"Sick and Twisted Affair"	—	—	—	—	37	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Awards and nominations

Year	Presenter	Award	Result
2011	Juno Awards of 2011	New Group of the Year[28]	Nominated

Notes

1. "Porn Star Dancing" did not enter the ARIA Singles Chart, but peaked at number 15 on the ARIA Hitseekers Chart.^[25]

References

1. Bergen, Werner (June 24, 2010). "My Darkest Days at Red Dog for two shows". The Peterborough Examiner. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
2. "Porn Star Dancing", Island Def Jam, June 2, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
3. Okarmus, Matt. "Sick Puppies bring unique sound to Capital City" Archived May 5, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Montgomery Advertiser, July 8, 2010.
4. Youseph, Ramon. "My Darkest Days—Pornstar Dancing Single Review", Rock Music, suite101.com, June 23, 2010, accessed July 9, 2010.
5. "About – Three Days Grace". Three Days Grace. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
6. Zakk Wylde featured in My Darkest Days video" Archived December 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Blabbermouth.net, June 21, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
7. "Web magazine bands music group photos news reviews events Live 'N Loud Magazine". Livenloudmagazine.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
8. [1] Archived August 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
9. "My Darkest Days band status from Sep 12, 2011". September 12, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2012 – via Facebook.
10. "My Darkest Days band status from Jan 13, 2012". January 13, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012 – via Facebook.
11. "NHL 13 Soundtrack Replicates Authentic In-Arena Hockey Experience". August 30, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2023 – via EA Sports.
12. "Sal Costa of SMASHING SATELLITES Announces Retirement!". October 22, 2017.
13. "Smashing Satellites | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic.
14. "My Darkest Days Album & Song Chart History – Canadian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
15. "My Darkest Days Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
16. "My Darkest Days Album & Song Chart History – Alternative Albums". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
17. "My Darkest Days Album Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
18. "My Darkest Days Album & Song Chart History – Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
19. "Discography My Darkest Days". australian-charts.com. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
20. "My Darkest Days Album & Song Chart History – Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
21. "My Darkest Days Album & Song Chart History – Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
22. "My Darkest Days Album & Song Chart History – Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
23. "My Darkest Days Album & Song Chart History – Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
24. "My Darkest Days : Chart History : Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
25. "Week Commencing ~ 16 May 2011 ~ Issue #1107" (PDF). p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 30, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
26. [2] ^{[dead link‍]}
27. "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database – October 18, 2012". RIAA. Archived from the original on February 25, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
28. "2011 | New Group of the Year (Sponsored by FACTOR and Radio Starmaker Fund) | My Darkest Days |".

Other sources

• https://junoawards.ca/nomination/2011-new-group-of-the-year-sponsored-by-factor-and-radio-starmaker-fund-my-darkest-days/

External links

• Official website
• My Darkest Days at AllMusic