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Hailing from Las Vegas, Imagine Dragon’s sound mirrors its hometown’s blended contrast of the constructed (glimmering buildings) with the natural (majestic desert). Tracks such as beat heavy opener “Radioactive” and the masterfully layered “Demons” could be performed acoustically around the campfire or electrified in concert. “Tiptoe” has elements of classic ‘80s technopop, while “On Top of the World” is a joyous handclap-driven number with big harmony vocals on the chorus and happy drumming. Both the airplay-friendly sound and thoughtful lyrics of “Every Night” are timeless, with steady acoustic guitar strumming, booming yet restrained drumming, and an emotive electric guitar solo all in play on this gently rocking ballad.

• Deluxe Version

Tracks such as beat heavy opener “Radioactive” and the masterfully layered “Demons” could be performed acoustically around the campfire or electrified in concert. “Tiptoe” has elements of classic ‘80s technopop, while “On Top of the World” is a joyous handclap-driven number with big harmony vocals on the chorus and happy drumming. Both the airplay-friendly sound and thoughtful lyrics of “Every Night” are timeless.

• Expanded Edition [Super Deluxe]

“This is it, the apocalypse,” Imagine Dragons’ frontman Dan Reynolds boldly declares on “Radioactive,” the thunderous opening track of the Las Vegas quartet’s monstrous 2012 debut album. “Welcome to the new age,” he continues with an ominous snarl, as if challenging anyone to suggest otherwise. The track pushes on like a gladiator’s call to arms, punctuated with earth-shattering bass. It’s an all-or-nothing stadium rouser that introduces Imagine Dragons as a band ready to take on the world—and boy, would it.
“Radioactive” has since been certified Diamond and become one of the best-selling singles of all time. Not bad for a band that was closing out the 2000s playing the local casino scene just to make rent. Night Visions is a clear marker of its time, an uncompromising amalgam of early 21st-century alt-rock—think The Killers’ soaring sincerity mixed with Muse’s formidable swagger and Mumford & Sons’ folky zeal—infused with boisterous elements of hip-hop and dubstep. The band seems on a mission to outdo itself with every track. The top half of the album—heavy in hits—sets out to prove this. “It’s Time” is a vivid anthem for picking oneself up, buoyed by guitarist Wayne Sermon’s plunky mandolin, while “On Top of the World” adds a touch of Jack Johnson-like levity to a clap-happy Steve Reich sample. But it’s not all so optimistic. “Demons” slips back into the darkness, plodding up a bass-laden hill in search of peak catharsis.
That intensity never lets up through the second half. Reynolds counts his sins over the jagged rhythms of “Bleeding Out” and reflects on the band’s humble beginnings on the squelchy, synth-edged banger “Underdog.” The members finally let themselves stretch out on the sprawling rock-operatic closer “Nothing Left To Say / Rocks (Medley),” which ends on a merry, mandolin-fueled note and one pivotal question from Reynolds: “Where do we go from here?”
This 10-year-anniversary Super Deluxe Edition from 2022 reveals where Imagine Dragons started—many of the bonus studio recordings can be found on earlier EPs, like the midtempo meditation “The River”—and where they began to hit their stride. A buoyant 2014 performance from Red Rocks shows how well the band translates the ferocity of the record to the stage, while the final collection of remixes highlight its wide-range appeal.

While trekking through sold-out arenas around the world to support its 2012 smash debut, Night Visions, Imagine Dragons was already feverishly thinking about its next move. How could it not? The more singles it released, the bigger it seemed to get. And so, the Vegas band approached its 2015 sophomore album as another skyscraping mountain to climb—or better yet, move. Smoke + Mirrors embraces all the band’s melting-pot whims while leaning more heavily into its rock ambitions. If possible, the songs here thrash and thunder with even more might than those of its predecessor, perhaps a symptom of the daunting weight of Imagine Dragons’ success.
As on Night Visions, frontman Dan Reynolds thrives in emotional extremes, but here he’s more pointed in his words, and his target—himself. “I’m sorry for everything, oh, everything I’ve done,” he cries at the top of opener “Shots,” a shimmery synth-pop romp that still manages to triumphantly gallop into the sunset. On “Gold,” he frets over the impact of his band’s Midas touch: “Who can you trust when everything you touch turns to gold?” he roars over a Zeus-worthy stomp. Meanwhile, on “Dream,” he slips into a Coldplay-like mood, falsetto and all, determined to keep dreaming because “everything’s a mess.”
The rest of the band is just as eager to push beyond respective limits. Guitarist Wayne Sermon muscles up with the bluesy, Black Keys-esque riffs that pummel through the reverb-laden “I’m So Sorry.” He flexes even harder on the folky battle cry “I Bet My Life,” another anthem that vies for world domination. Throughout, bassist/keyboardist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman are feverishly sculpting the mood, most menacingly on the sitar-meets-metal bruiser “Friction” and most playfully on the polyrhythmic uplifter “Summer.”
Much of Smoke + Mirrors was written on the road, with an aim for even bigger arenas to conquer. While nothing here quite matched the Herculean triumph of 2012’s “Radioactive,” the more vulnerable moments and sonic experiments would set the tone for the band’s next evolution.

• Deluxe Version

The Vegas band hold nothing back on their sophomore album, flying skyscraping anthems over an increasingly diverse landscape. “Shots” gets struck through with glittery ‘80s synths and a Toto-esque beat, while “Gold” is set to a doomy EDM thump and “I’m So Sorry” sloshes around in bluesy grime. Frontman Dan Reynolds keeps up with every twist and turn, evoking soulful vocals on the swaying rock ballad “Smoke and Mirrors” before letting out a rip-roaring wail on the folk-pop stomp “I Bet My Life.”

Imagine Dragons 称得上全球最受瞩目的美国独立摇滚乐团。重击的力量型节拍、跳跃性极强的旋律、主唱 Dan Reynolds 收放自如的演绎，都是乐队风靡全球的重要因素。《Evolve》是乐队的第三张录音室专辑，除了将摇滚乐搭配流行、另类、EDM、R&B 等多重元素，跳脱了各种音乐流派的标签外，主唱似唱似说的演唱风格也是专辑超越之笔。被用作任天堂广告主题曲的《Believer》延续了乐队一贯的特色重击节拍，狂野激情的呼喊之下，是无惧苦痛大步向前的积极态度。而《Whatever It Takes》则通过 Synth-Pop 的完美点缀，将乐队近年的成长化作点点音符，记录了乐队的蜕变，也激励着听众。

Longtime Imagine Dragons fans will notice a newfound brightness on the Las Vegas band’s third album. That’s because frontman Dan Reynolds wrote most of it after coming out of a serious depression that had plagued him since childhood but worsened after the band’s first major tour to support its hugely successful 2012 debut album. Where 2015 follow-up Smoke + Mirrors had a heavier, darker bite, 2017’s Evolve is noticeably lighter, buoyed by more heart, soul, and groove.

Sonically, this is the best-selling rock band of the 2010s going full-out pop. Sure, there are a few sizzles of power-ballad guitar tossed in for good measure, but Evolve is Imagine Dragons proving it can still galvanize the forces by dialing down on the thundering rock theatrics—just a bit. Even the militaristic stomp of a song literally called “Thunder” is tempered by giddy, helium-pumped vocals.

In a sense, Imagine Dragons’ evolution here is felt more in spirit than sound, and nothing says that more than the shuffling, gospel-tinged “Next To Me,” the band’s first big love song. The track was such a significant emotional shift—that the outfit decided to add it to the top of the album’s 2018 reissue. But it’s hardly the only glimmer of romance here. “I Don’t Know Why” takes a page from The Weeknd and Daft Punk’s smash collaborations with its starry-eyed electro-pop grooviness and Reynolds’ most sizzling confession yet: “Your love is always dangerous,” he sneers. On “I’ll Make It Up To You,” he pledges his loyalty to his partner over sparkling soulful pop; later, he reveals more of that tender side on the woozy electro-R&B reverie “Dancing In The Dark.”

Of course, this wouldn’t be an Imagine Dragons record without a sturdy collection of sky-high inspirational anthems, like fist-pumping sing-alongs “Whatever It Takes” and “Walking The Wire.” But “Believer” is the big standout, a perfectly polished composite of the group’s most reliable moves: pummeling rhythms, buzzing sub-bass, a shout-to-the-heavens chorus, and a no-pain-no-gain message. Unsurprisingly, it would score Imagine Dragons another massive hit.

这张《Origins》是大热前作《Evolve》的姐妹篇，象征着乐队对本真与自我的进一步探寻。专辑封面中遍布植物的城市，迷茫的背影，微微发凉的光圈，不禁让人联想到世间一切的无限循环，以及渺小个体置身其中的孤独感。Imagine Dragon 在专辑中延续了他们硬核的摇滚风的同时，持续探索着摇滚与嘻哈、民谣、迷幻等元素的融合。被选为 2018 大学橄榄赛主题曲的专辑主打歌《Natural》激情澎湃，其循序渐进的精美旋律，犹如一股股愈发猛烈的浪潮，激励听众释放自我，奋力拼搏。主唱 Dan Reynolds 超凡的创作能力，模糊了摇滚乐与其他风格的边界，让摇滚乐在凶猛的流行浪潮下站稳脚跟，持续散发着狂野的魅力。

Four albums in six years is a breakneck pace for any major artist in 2018, to say nothing of a band as ascendant and ambitious as Imagine Dragons. And as with its predecessors, the songs that comprise Origins—coming just over a year after the blockbuster Evolve—aren’t tossed-off lo-fi recordings. They’re big hits with big beats and big choruses and big production, made for the big venues that the Los Angeles/Las Vegas quartet regularly play. And if the pressures that come with mounting pop stardom aren’t enough to discourage a prolific streak, there’s always debilitating personal strife. But those hard times led to more songs, frontman Dan Reynolds tells Apple Music.

How did this album come together so quickly?
Some of these songs were written when we had weeks off on tour; some were written a month ago. I know there’s some bands that say, “Every three years we’ll put out a record and feed the fans, do a big tour, and then go away,” but we have the ability to continually feed the culture and fan base of Imagine Dragons, so why not do that? I grew up mainly listening to hip-hop and I loved the whole aspect of mixtapes—you could consume stuff from your favorite artists continually, and rock doesn’t do that. We kind of just get put there because we have a guitarist and because sometimes I sing a little screamy, but I really am more influenced by the culture of hip-hop, and of R&B music.

Is there one particular song that made you realize this was going to be a proper album sooner than later?
The last track, “Real Life,” really solidified things for me. Imagine Dragons has never been a love song kind of band, but this record is, like, 90% about love and relationships. I went through a hard divorce this year and we announced it to the world—then we never wound up signing the papers. We have a chaotic relationship, but a stale one seems worse to me. It sounds like such a clichéd thing to say, but going through heartbreak is devastating. Your whole world falls apart.

So you threw yourself into writing?
I had to be either listening to or creating music at all times, because I was so afraid of facing a quiet room. I just had this gaping hole that felt so desolate and scary, and music at least took me away from that. “Bad Liar” I wrote with my wife right before we separated, and it’s all about a dying relationship. Listening to it now that we’re back together, it’s kind of cathartic in a weird way.

Do you write differently now, knowing there’s a huge audience waiting?
Fortunately, we have a few things going for us. We’ve been pretty genre-less since the beginning, so whereas some bands get pigeonholed, we’re able to be all over the gamut. I love big melodies and poppy songs; the only rock I listened to was Rage Against the Machine and Minor Threat. I enjoy writing pop music and I want to write big pop songs.

《Mercury - Act 1》的创作过程或许是一场如生产般的阵痛，但正如新生命经历一番挣扎降临人间一样，人生的希望也会在幽邃风暴过后绽现晴朗。在新歌《Easy Come Easy Go》相对轻快的吉他中，能听到乐队明朗豁然的境界：“我只需放下一切/等待奇迹发生”（I just need to let it go/Waiting on a miracle）。

过去几年，从《Evolve》到《Origins》，Imagine Dragons 的专辑概念往往都围绕宏观的暗喻或意象，而第五张专辑《Mercury - Act 1》主题上的明显转变不无原因。在《Origins》 发行后的三年中，Dan Reynolds 与生命中的诸多“失去”逐一遭遇：身边亲友罹患癌症去世，与妻子的婚姻濒临破灭，再加上对全球疫情阴影下集体创伤与失落的共感，这一连串汹涌的情感洪流，冲刷进了 Reynolds 三年内写出的 100 首歌里。连同《Cutthroat》在内，专辑里的许多歌的隐含主题都是“生命的终局”（Finality of life）。

在嫂子因癌症去世后写下的《Wrecked》中，Reynolds 传递了第一次目睹死亡后对生命脆弱的感觉。而对所爱之人的忠诚则体现在 Imagine Dragons 不常有的情歌《Follow You》中。在专辑《Evolve》巡演时，Dan Reynolds 与妻子 Aja 曾面临冷战，濒临离婚困境，而之后他们选择珍视彼此并修复了情感关系，这也让《Follow You》最终成形。

从三年内庞大的创作素材当中，制作人 Rick Rubin 协同甄选出了最合适情感表达的新载体，引导着 Reynolds 走出舒适区，去拥抱曾经感到的抗拒、拘束，把情感从 demo 中加倍放大出来：《Cutthroat》就是这样的结果的典型——嘶吼、敲击、深入耳膜的爆裂音效，其中还藏着一抹管风琴演奏家 Cory Henry 塑造的仪式感体验。而整张《Mercury - Act 1》的制作，也是将 Reynolds 长期压抑的诸多情感，内化进希望的创作过程。

“I never fully comprehend, thematically, what the record is about,” Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds tells Apple Music about their fifth full-length album. “I’m not that deliberate, for better or worse, when I’m writing.” After three years and some band therapy, Mercury - Act 1 arrives as ascending, eclectic, accessible arena rock, amplified by a new collaborator: legendary producer Rick Rubin (Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash, System of a Down, Tom Petty, AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers). “They’re wildly sophisticated in their production ability, in their playing, and in their writing, this glut of greatness,” Rubin says of the band.

Rubin’s style allowed Reynolds to rectify his loss of religious faith and discover a new kind of meaning on record. “My first goal with creating art is putting out something that is honest,” Reynolds says. “One of the things that has been so inspiring to me working with Rick is I have been trying to refine spirituality and belief. When the rug is pulled out on you with religion, I was left with nothing. It made me trust no one. Any story anybody told me, it was a ghost story. I’ve been trying to refine believing in deeper things, unexplainable things. I’m trusting where I feel honesty. Rick is honest.”

Mercury - Act 1 became a record about letting go—about moving forward (like in the haunting vocal overlays of “Wrecked,” a song written about Reynolds’ sister-in-law who died of cancer in 2019)—and about accepting what terrifies us. “My biggest fear in life, and I didn’t know this until recently, is lack of control,” Reynolds admits, revealing that he confronted that fear in a spiritually transformative ayahuasca trip, which no doubt influenced the record. “I had to give up control completely. And I died. Spiritually, I felt like I died. I saw so many things in my life from a bird’s-eye view. Then I heard like the bell and this incredible shaman came over and was helping me come alive again. It felt like a rebirth. It was everything I was told religion would give to me.”

If Mercury - Act 1 sounds darker than its predecessor, 2018’s Origins, it’s because Imagine Dragons have never been so forthright; Rubin brought it out of the band. The ebullient percussion of “It’s Ok,” the shimmery piano of “Easy Come Easy Go,” the thunderous nu-metal-adjacent “Cutthroat,” the glitchy romance of “Monday”—all of these kaleidoscopic elements work to mirror Reynolds’ understanding that some things are out of our control, and that’s all right. “I’d be overly metaphorical out of fear of people knowing what I was talking about,” Reynolds says. “I have a hard enough time knowing that people are going to hear what I’m talking about.”

“我们在刚刚开始录这张专辑的时候就发现，这没法只做成一张专辑。”Imagine Dragons 主唱 Dan Reynolds 告诉 Apple Music，“专辑有两个走向，讲的是两个故事，有两条时间线。有些歌是我在特别好的朋友自杀后和我嫂子过世后写的，都是些悲伤的歌曲。然后因为新冠疫情，剩下的歌是跟之前隔了将近三年才写的。我的心境已经完全不一样了，我有别的故事要讲。” 乐队决定围绕同一个主题推出两张专辑：《Mercury - Act 1》讲述了面对死亡与经历悲痛的过程，《Act 2》则阐述了试图继续前行的曲折艰难。

在传奇制作人 Rick Rubin（曾担任 Beastie Boys、Johnny Cash、System of a Down、Tom Petty、AC/DC、Red Hot Chili Peppers 的专辑制作人）的帮助下，这些风格多元、最终走向积极向上的摇滚歌曲增色不少。而 Rubin 对乐队给出了这样的评价：“这帮家伙的制作能力、演奏水平、写歌素养都特别成熟，特别厉害。”Rubin 的风格让 Reynolds 重拾自己丧失的宗教信仰，并在专辑中发现了新的意义。“我创作艺术的首要目的是诚实地表达。”Reynolds 说道，“和 Rick 共事对我的一大启发就是让我努力重建精神信仰。宗教的支柱垮塌后，我的精神世界变得一无所有，这让我对他人失去了信任。任何人对我讲的任何事，听起来都是那么不真实。我试着在更深刻、更宏大的事情中重建信仰。我会信任那些让我感觉诚实的对象，Rick 就是这样真诚的人。”

和声凄美的《Wrecked》是为纪念 Reynolds 2019 年因癌症去世的嫂子而作，以这首歌为例，《Mercury - Act 1》讲的是“放手”。“我最近才发现，我人生中最大的恐惧就是失去控制。”Reynolds 坦言。他通过一次特殊体验让自己直面了这种恐惧，这张专辑也毫无疑问深受这次体验的影响。“我不得不彻底放弃控制，然后我死了。在精神上，我感觉自己已经死亡。我从鸟瞰的视角亲眼见到自己这辈子经历过的许多事。然后我好像听到了钟声，一位本领非凡的萨满走过来帮我复活了。这感觉就像一次重生，我从中感受到了传说中宗教能带给我的一切。”而《Act 2》关注的是死亡之后的体验，是向着隧道尽头的光前行。“在面对失去与死亡之后，等着我们的是什么？明天会是什么样？伤痛犹在，但生活也要继续。这张专辑讲的是要活在当下。当你失去亲近的人，你会拥有全新的人生态度——每分每秒都很重要。”

“One thing we saw very early on in the recording process was the fact that this couldn’t be one record,” Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds tells Apple Music. “There were two different directions, two stories being told, and two timelines. We had songs that I wrote right after my best friend took his life and right after my sister passed away—you know, grieving songs. And then we had songs that were written, because of COVID, almost three years later, when I was in a totally different place. I had a different story to tell.” The band decided to release two variations on a single theme: Mercury - Act 1 addresses the death and grieving process, while Act 2 unpacks the complicated task of trying to move forward.

These eclectic and ultimately uplifting rock songs are amplified by the band’s new collaborator: legendary producer Rick Rubin (Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash, System of a Down, Tom Petty, AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers). “They’re wildly sophisticated in their production ability, in their playing, and in their writing—this glut of greatness,” Rubin says of the band. Rubin’s style allowed Reynolds to rectify his loss of religious faith and discover a new kind of meaning on the record. “My first goal with creating art is putting out something that is honest,” Reynolds says. “One of the things that has been so inspiring to me working with Rick is I have been trying to refine spirituality and belief. When the rug is pulled out on you with religion, I was left with nothing. It made me trust no one. Any story anybody told me, it was a ghost story. I’ve been trying to refine believing in deeper things, unexplainable things. I’m trusting where I feel honesty. Rick is honest.”

Act 1 is largely about letting go, as evidenced in the haunting vocal overlays of “Wrecked,” a song written about Reynolds’ sister-in-law, who died of cancer in 2019. “My biggest fear in life is lack of control,” Reynolds admits, revealing that he confronted that fear in a spiritually transformative ayahuasca trip, which no doubt influenced the record. “I had to give up control completely. And I died. Spiritually, I felt like I died. I saw so many things in my life from a bird’s-eye view. Then I heard, like, the bell and this incredible shaman came over and was helping me come alive again. It felt like a rebirth. It was everything I was told religion would give to me.” Act 2 focuses on the “post-death” experience, he says, and reaches for the light at the end of the tunnel. “Dealing with someone who has passed—and then what? What does tomorrow look like? Grief is always there, but life continues. It’s about being present. All you have, after you lose someone close to you, is this [new perspective] that every single second counts.”

预告第六张专辑《LOOM》时，Imagine Dragons 在网站上推出神秘预告，四扇门中有三扇上锁，等待着“信徒”“战士”和“梦想家”来开启。Imagine Dragons 一路以来专辑中的音乐角色也可以用这三者概括：《Origins》对本真与自我的探寻，《Mercury - Act 1》面向死亡与悲痛的经历，《Mercury - Act 2》在曲折中向阳前行的心态。也正是这些，铸就了乐队在《LOOM》中如信徒、战士、梦想家般的勇者之心。

Imagine Dragons 在主题呈现上无所畏惧。Dan Reynolds 标志性的跌宕式唱腔和活泼节奏相结合，为《Take Me to the Beach》带来欢快氛围，副歌还赞美了温暖放松的海滩假日，不细看歌词也许不会发现，歌曲还涉及了国家对民众无处不在的监视等敏感话题。“濒临死亡，再涅槃重生“（Killed and resurrected），《EyesNBSClosed》高歌在炼狱绝境中勇往直前的战士精神，哥伦比亚歌手 J Balvin 在合作版中则贡献了震撼人心的西语演绎。

《LOOM》由 Imagine Dragons 及其长期合作伙伴 Mattman 和 Robin 制作，致力将流行摇滚兼融 Hip-Hop 与电子的张力无限延伸，用高亢的副歌带来更有冲击力的能量。乐队在不同的极端之间灵活游走，时而轻松活泼，时而紧张激烈。这捉摸不透的走向，正如专辑封面上半入地平线的太阳那样，似是日出又是日落，上下哪面是倒影，开始与结束、真实与虚幻，难以说清，一切皆有可能。

On LOOM, Imagine Dragons’ sixth LP, Dan Reynolds and his band weave dexterously between poles. The album is playful at times but intense during others, building from the act’s signature pop-rock style to incorporate more elements of rap and electro than ever before. On LOOM, they also reckon with their own legacy, noting how the project simultaneously marks the end of one era and the beginning of something new.

On “Take Me to the Beach,” Reynolds infuses his signature melodic delivery with a hopping pace, giving the song a gleeful edge even as he digs into hot-button issues like the surveillance state that surrounds us. The chorus extols the virtues of a warm, relaxing day on a sandy hideaway, but Reynolds uses the refrain as an opportunity to dig at his personality: “You take the snow/It’s way too cold/My heart is cold enough,” he sings. It’s funny, but the vocalist grimaces as he chuckles.