Neon Ballroom (Gatefold LP)

Neon Ballroom is the third studio album by Australian post-grunge band Silverchair and was released in 1999. On this album the band is considered to have reached their maturity, both literally as musically. When Silverchair released their first album, the band members were just 14 years old. By the time they recorded Neon Ballroom they reached the age of 20.

Musically it leaps and bounds beyond the Australian trio's two previous efforts Frogstomp and Freakshow. The group's songwriter, Daniel Johns had been battling personal demons as he attempted to adjust to Silverchair's sudden success and he poured these experiences into his new batch of songs.

Determined to shake the constant musical comparisons that had previously dogged his band, Johns created a truly original sounding album. Fusing heavy rock with orchestral flourishes and synthetic touches with powerfully emotional lyrics, the dark and haunting Neon Ballroom was universally acclaimed as a huge creative leap for John and his bandmates.