''Digital Renegade'' (stylized as '' igital_renegade') is the third studio album by American

electronicore Electronicore (also known as synthcore or trancecore) is a fusion genre of metalcore with elements of various electronic music genres, often including trance, electronica, and dubstep. Reception Sumerian Records noted in the late 2000s that "t ...

band

I See Stars I See Stars are an American electronicore band from Warren, Michigan formed in 2006. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Devin Oliver, guitarist Brent Allen, keyboardist and co-vocalist Andrew Oliver, and bass guitarist Jeff Valentine. ...

. It was released on March 13, 2012 through

Sumerian Records Sumerian Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen.Danny Worsnop Danny Robert Worsnop (born 4 September 1990) is an English singer most prominently known as the lead vocalist of rock bands Asking Alexandria and We Are Harlot. He has worked with several artists including I See Stars, With One Last Breath, Bre ...

from the English

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...

band

Asking Alexandria Asking Alexandria are a British rock band from York, North Yorkshire, consisting of guitarists Ben Bruce and Cameron Liddell, drummer James Cassells, lead vocalist Danny Worsnop, and bassist Sam Bettley. Initially formed in 2006 by Ben Bruce ...

and

Cassadee Pope Cassadee Blake Pope (born August 28, 1989) is an American pop and country singer. She was the lead vocalist and songwriter of the pop band Hey Monday, with whom she released one studio album and two EPs. Pope embarked on a solo career in early ...

from the American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Hey Monday Hey Monday was an American rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, formed in 2008. They released their debut album '' Hold On Tight'' in 2008, which produced the singles "Homecoming" and "How You Love Me Now". The album was followed up with the ...

. As opposed to the band's first two records, ''Digital Renegade'' features a heavier

sound with stronger use of

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

and

synthesizers A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

. Additionally, Devin Oliver's clean vocals appear less frequently on the album; only two songs feature him singing predominantly lead, "Digital Renegade" and "Electric Forest". The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended its heavier sound compared to the band's previous material. It reached number 45 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

200 __NOTOC__ Year 200 ( CC) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Victorinus (or, less frequently, year 953 '' Ab ur ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, as well as the top 20 on the

Rock Albums Chart The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

and the top 10 on the Alternative Albums Chart, making it their most commercially successful album to date.

Background

I See Stars began recording their third album in October 2011, as soon as the Scream It Like You Mean It Tour finished. After a few recording sessions they began another tour in November. In a commercial video for the Leave It To The Suits Tour, the band announced the album's release date would be March 13, 2012. The commercial trailer included clips from two new songs. The band played new songs from the upcoming album on the Leave It 2 The Suits Tour, including the song "Gnars Attacks" and the single "Filth Friends Unite". An un-mastered version of "Filth Friends Unite" was released on January 8, 2012, at midnight on the band's Facebook page and the album title, ''Digital Renegade'', was announced a few hours later. A finalized version of "Filth Friends Unite" was released as the first official single from the album on January 17. On February 10, 2012 the album was made available for pre-order and the cover art was revealed. The album's second single, "NZT48", was released on YouTube on February 23 as a lyric video. The song was released on iTunes February 28. On March 6, 2012, ''Alternative Press'' premiered the song "Mystery Wall" exclusively on their website. When asked about ''Digital Renegades musical style, the band's lead vocalist, Devin Oliver, made the following statement:

Critical reception

''Digital Renegade'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. Gregory Heaney from

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

gave the album a positive review, saying "While the group's fans might find this transition a bit jarring at first, the changes heard on Digital Renegade make it the most mature album to date from a band that's definitely evolving in a promising direction." Heaney indicated "Digital Renegade", "Underneath Every Smile" and "iBelieve" as the AMG track picks.

Annie Zaleski Annie Zaleski is an American music journalist and author. Career Zaleski is a regular writer for mainstream media outlets such as The A.V. Club and NPR Music, and a columnist at ''Salon''. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio where she has won firs ...

from ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

'' also gave the album a positive review, saying, "Unlike other bands who combine disparate styles, I See Stars do so in unexpected ways; the mash-up of programmed effects and crushing rock elements sounds seamless and exciting. Yet Digital Renegade also won’t alienate long-time fans—the album just reinforces how the band are creatively charged and ferociously ambitious." Sputnikmusic critic David Boy gave the album a mixed review, saying, "To give credit where it is due, there is a sense of such improvement, refinement and progression apparent throughout 'Digital Renegade'. Ultimately, however, the way one views this relatively consistent album will depend on a combination of what they have thought of the band's past two LPs, and the ceiling which they place on the genre as a whole. As is once more proven here, the balance of seamless transitions and imaginative song structures is practically impossible to achieve, with anything bordering on conventional seeming well beyond the capabilities of I See Stars."

Commercial performance

''Digital Renegade'' debuted and peaked at number 45 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in the

, making it their highest charting album to date. It also peaked within the top 20 on the

, as well as the top 10 on

Alternative Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

and

Independent Albums The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' maga ...

Chart.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Andrew and Devin Oliver; all music composed by I See Stars.

Personnel

;I See Stars * Devin Oliver –

clean vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Zach Johnson –

unclean vocals A death growl, or simply growl, is an extended vocal technique usually employed in extreme styles of music, particularly in death metal and other extreme subgenres of heavy metal music. Death growl vocals are sometimes criticized for their ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

sequencer Sequencer may refer to: Technology * Drum sequencer (controller), an electromechanical system for controlling a sequence of events automatically * DNA sequencer, a machine used to automatically produce a sequence readout from a biological DNA sam ...

, programming * Brent Allen –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

* Jimmy Gregerson –

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

* Jeff Valentine –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

* Andrew Oliver –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

on "iBelieve" ;Additional musicians *

(

) -

guest vocals In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

on "Electric Forest" *

Danny Worsnop Danny Robert Worsnop (born 4 September 1990) is an English singer most prominently known as the lead vocalist of rock bands Asking Alexandria and We Are Harlot. He has worked with several artists including I See Stars, With One Last Breath, Bre ...

(

) - guest vocals on "Endless Sky" Production *

Joey Sturgis Joey Sturgis (born January 3, 1985) is an American record producer and owner of The Foundation Recording Studio in Connersville, Indiana. Sturgis started recording in 2004 including producing the Asking Alexandria single "The Final Episode" whic ...

–

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, mixing, mastering * Nick Sampson – additional engineering and production * Jeff Dunne – additional editing ;Management * Brent Mulligan and Bret Disend (Ozone Entertainment) and Carl Severson (Good Fight Entertainment) – management * Ash Avildsen (The Pantheon Agency) – North America booking, A&R * Mark Ngui (Creative Artists Agency) – international booking * Shawn Keith – A&R * Scott Padell (Padell Business Management) – business management * Mike McKoy (Serling, Rooks, Ferrara, McKoy & Worob LLP) – legal representation ;Artwork * Mark Brown – cover * Unlimited Design – interior

Chart positions

References

{{Authority control 2012 albums I See Stars albums Sumerian Records albums Albums produced by Joey Sturgis