It seems like a long time ago, but it really wasn’t. There was a time where Victory Records existed and also snapped up developing, promising bands like Silverstein, Atreyu, and Taking Back Sunday, then watched as they inevitably went to major labels later on. Whether it was post-hardcore, pop-punk, emo, metalcore, or something else, there’s no doubt that Victory’s eye for talent was rather diverse.
In the case of Taking Back Sunday, they’re on a shortlist of the biggest bands to ever sign with the label. Debut album Tell All Your Friends got TBS off to a strong start with an emo/alt classic. Where You Want To Be proved to be highly successful, both commercially and critically. Debuting at a staggering #3 on the Billboard 200, it remains the highest charting album ever released by Victory Records. Despite significant member changes, it was also not a sophomore slump by any means. Several of these songs attained classic status, particularly the instantly recognizable “A Decade Under The Influence” and the Spider-Man 2 anthem “This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)”. Adam Lazzara’s vocals proved to be some of the !most imitated in the scene yet again, but is the album a classic? Most would say yes.
