American Tragedy(2010)

American Tragedy (2010–present)

Danny at Rock on the Range in 2011.

The band soon began writing material for their second studio album; American Tragedy.^[15][16] On April 1, 2010, the band started its own iheartradio station, with horror and thriller tales.^[17] In recent interviews, the band has stated intentions to record their second album in summer 2010 and release it in the fall. James Diener, head of the band's record label, confirmed the next album for a fall 2010 release and believes that it will launch the band into more mainstream success, making it a "big next step" for the group.^[18] The band has also confirmed that producer Don Gilmore, who also worked on their debut album, has returned to produce the new album. Recording concluded around mid-November and the band began mixing the album the day after Thanksgiving. No official release date has been announced.

The band began a marketing campaign for the second album. They co-headlined the Nightmare After Christmas Tour with Avenged Sevenfold and Stone Sourto support the album. On December 8, 2010, the band released the artwork for the album's first single, titled "Hear Me Now". The track was released on December 13, for radio and on the band's YouTube page, and was made available online as a digital single on December 21. J-Dog commented that this is his favorite song that the band has done so far. The song's lyrics tell the story of a person who is depressed and hopeless, taking a very somber tone to the track. Despite this, the instruments and melodies contrast to make a "great rock smash", reports AOL Radio blog.^[19] Within its first couple days of release, the single made it to number 2 on the iTunes Rock Chart.

On January 11, 2011, the band announced the upcoming album will be titled American Tragedy. The next day, they released a preview of the album on their YouTube page. On January 21, they released a new song, "Comin' in Hot" available for a free download.^[20] Also revealed in the "Comin' in Hot" trailer that the new album will be released in March 2011. In a recent interview, the group announced that the official release date for the album would be March 8, 2011^[21]but as of February 22, 2011, it was announced that the album has been pushed back to April 5, 2011.^[22]

On February 6, 2011, the band released another song titled "Been to Hell", for a free download.^[23] Hollywood Undead member J-Dog said he will continue to release "sample" music for free download until the album has released, via Hollywood Undead email subscribers, Hollywood Undead website members, and Facebook fans.

American Tragedy turned out to be more successful than their first album Swan Songs, selling about 67,000 copies (66,915) in its debut week, while Swan Songs sold 21,000 copies in its debut.American Tragedy has also peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200, while Swan Song's highest peak on the Billboard 200 was #22. It has also peaked at #2 on many other charts, while also reaching #1 on the Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums chart. The album was also very successful in other countries, making #5 in Canada and #43 in the United Kingdom.^[24]

Hollywood Undead's music features a wide variety of musical styles, generally blending hip hop with alternative rock and dance influence. However, many would identify them as rap rock or nu metal. Half of the songs in Swan Songs display a more party-based style, while the other half show a more serious approach to the album. Songs such as "Young" and "Sell Your Soul" are often praised, while the party-based songs such as "No. 5" and "Everywhere I Go" were often criticized. Many critics have stated to be confused due to the record's constant representation of different sounds.

To continue promoting the album, the band headlined the Revolt Tour, along with 10 Years, Drive A, and New Medicine.^[25] The very successful tour took place between April 6–May 27, 2011. After the tour, the band played several shows in Europe, Canada, and Australia. They will then headline the Endless Summer Tour with All That Remains and Hyro da Hero, which will take place between July 18–August 7, 2011.^[26]                      

Music Style----      American Tragedy continues this style for the most part. The album has less of a party-based style than Swan Songs, and instead follows a more serious approach. The 18-track deluxe version of album only contains 3 songs that are based on sex and drinking, whereas Swan Songs had 6 out of its 14 tracks. Many reviewers have compared this album to Linkin Park's first two records.