Imagine Dragons: Flying To The Top

The band, Imagine Dragons

By Jon Schulte



It's no secret that in today's music scene, you need to have something explosive, something groundbreaking, and something catchy to snag someone's ear, and their wallet. And on Valentines Day, 2012, one band did just that. The release of Imagine Dragons' "Continued Silence EP", their first major label EP shocked listeners, as this six track EP shattered the idea of indie and alternative music, combining intense and berating beats with songs such as "Radioactive" and "Demons", along with a mellow and emotional sound, seen clearly in songs like "Look How Far We've Come", "Round and Round", and the popular "It's Time", the band struck gold, gaining fans world-wide, and success for them after a hard-fought rise to the top.

Beginning in 2009, the band, made up of four reckless, fearless individuals, started recording self-released EPs at Battle Born Studios in Las Vegas, Nevada, hometown of the band's front-runner, Dan Reynolds. From there, Grammy winning producer Alex da Kid picked up the band in 2011, working tirelessly to get the band an audience and to send that audience a message; that they were there to stay, and that they were there to rock. "Continued Silence" broke the rules in every way, gaining a respectable crowd, as well as a new meaning to their music. The songs, with compelling lyrics that only come from the heart, have touched fans, which is seen clearly at their live performances, where the emotion and passion behind every word the band sings is clear, and very touching. The band also really shows off their passion, to the point where Dan once passed out into the drums during a concert finale. Events like this show that Imagine Dragons is unlike what we've seen recently from the indie and alternative songbooks. They aren't just music, they are a message. The band supplies a soundtrack to any underdog, and has faced and conquered challenges to get them this far.

The band's new album, "Night Visions", which is released on September 4th.

The unique sound of the band, using obscure instruments such as a mandolin in "It's Time", which has been nominated in the MTV Video Music Awards "Best Rock Music Video" category, and the bubbly, rocking keyboard tracks in "Look How Far We've Come", has gotten them the push they needed to release their first album, "Night Visions", scheduled to hit record stores, iTunes, Spotify, and other vendors on September 4th with all sorts of specific vendor bonuses on top of the included 11 tracks. The album, comprised of songs from "Continued Silence" and new tracks yet to be heard, is expected to go far.

In this time, the band is also having their new track "On Top of the World" featured on the new FIFA13 video game soundtrack, along with various other places in pop culture, including "It's Time" being used in the commercials for "The Perks of Being a Wallflower", as well as to be covered by Darren Criss on the Season 4 premiere of the hit TV show, Glee. Nobody can really argue that the band has already made an impression, with a long road ahead.

The release of "Night Visions" is expected to gain a huge amount of popularity, as well as their current fall tour with AWOLNATION, another popular rocker. The tour comes to the Summit Music Hall in Denver on September 27th and 28th, with shows sold out months in advance. Along with the tour, the band will make stops all over the nation, spreading their sound as well as showing off their talent and love of music. As a music lover, I couldn't, and wouldn't speak poorly of this band. They worked hard, and made something truly amazing. I recommend them to everyone I know, and also try and publicize their older EPs, Hell and Silence, and the self titled Imagine Dragons EP. Give them a listen, as well as any work done by the band, I promise they will not disappoint.