Saturday, February 11, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Van Halen - A Different Kind Of Truth review
So the time has finally arrived. The bow is off the present. The Rapture is here. And let me say if the actual Rapture is this good, I hope I have a front row seat. I've already touched on the lead song & first single "Tattoo", so I won't rehash that. So... here goes.
After "Tattoo" comes a song born in the early VH years, "She's The Woman". Starting off with a groove straight out of Fair Warning, this short tune is quite rollicking. The classic VH groove is very evident, as is the lack of Michael Anthony's high end vocals. Dave is sounding tight & minus the younger screams, shows some good chops.
Up next, is "You And Your Blues", which sound-wise seems to borrow heavily from the Balance era. A moody verse moves into a sing-songy bridge, then into a strong chorus with a little different vocal styling from DLR. Straight-ahead rock & shows some updated VH sounds.
HOLY OPENING!!! Welcome back, Mr. Van Halen. "China Town" is a manic ride in the "I'm The One" or "Atomic Punk" vein. Uptempo, aggressive, yet melodic. And a fantastic Eddie ending to boot.
"Blood And Fire" is my vote for best tune. The clean opening seems quite playful, leading into the verse which plays with the same vibe. The driving beat is classic Halen. It almost ROLLS throughout the song. Another example of Eddie's underappreciated rhythm talents. This may be my new windows-down, summer song. And I rather enjoyed Dave's little aside "Told you I was comin' back". Would've fit on Women & Children First easily.
"Bullethead" returns to the aggressive nature of the opening songs. This one seems almost like it could've come from the Cherone era. Not a favorite, but features some great musicianship.
"As Is"... ain't that the truth. Monstrous drums to begin this song, then breaks into just good-time guitar wanking like only EVH can provide. Another aggressive song. Some heavy Metallica-style tapping in the solo, followed by a classic Dave "a little more volume in the headphones please".
Get past the title of the next song "Honeybabysweetiedoll" and there's a damn good tune in there. Powerful, dirty opening & verse riffs. Heavier than you would expect from such a goofy title. This tune features some sweet stretching in the solo section.
"The Trouble With Never" features two of my favorite lines on the entire disc: "When was the last time you did something for the first time" & the Diamond Dave via Confuscious gem "When you turn on your stereo does it return the favor". Possibly the next single.
"Outta Space" runs with an aggressive riff throughout. Typical Dave simple chorus. Phenomenal EVH solo, deploying all the typical tricks. I could see this tune ending up on VHII.
Next up is my second favorite tune on the disc, "Stay Frosty". Most will compare this to "Ice Cream Man" from the debut, but I think it's more in line with a Women And Children First track. This song displays all the fun of VH: goofy lyrics, rambling guitar riffs, & superb changes... and the denouement guitar jamming is sublime.
Second to last comes "Big River", featuring a simple, yet silky-smooth rhythm groove, which is something EVH is very overlooked for. A nice reflection on what Halen is and always should be. The solo is special because the backing guitar track is dropped, conjuring up thoughts of the debut.
And the big finish, "Beats Workin'"... just a wonderful send off for those fortunate enough to listen to the full disc. Another great groove, consistent with anything from the classic Roth era. The bridge into the chorus is fun as hell when the band drops leaving EVH to emphasize chords over. The breakdown section is everything we've hoped this album would be... groove provided by Alex, rollickin bass line from Wolfie, & tricks galore from Eddie.
I absolutely love this disc... though I think if you dropped "Tattoo" it would be stronger. DLR is spot on vocally, more mature, yet playful as ever. Alex pounds the skins as hard as he pounds the cymbals. Wolfie displays some serious chops (if it is Wolf), and EVH... well EVH is EVH. This guy is in his 50's, right? It's no coincidence that the band has reworked/rerecorded no less than 7 tunes from the classic years. Yet, they hold up so phenomenally, that after listening to it, I can't help but be sad that we haven't heard material like this for 15+ years.
Easily the best disc of '12, and it will take a yeoman's effort to beat it in my ears.
After "Tattoo" comes a song born in the early VH years, "She's The Woman". Starting off with a groove straight out of Fair Warning, this short tune is quite rollicking. The classic VH groove is very evident, as is the lack of Michael Anthony's high end vocals. Dave is sounding tight & minus the younger screams, shows some good chops.
Up next, is "You And Your Blues", which sound-wise seems to borrow heavily from the Balance era. A moody verse moves into a sing-songy bridge, then into a strong chorus with a little different vocal styling from DLR. Straight-ahead rock & shows some updated VH sounds.
HOLY OPENING!!! Welcome back, Mr. Van Halen. "China Town" is a manic ride in the "I'm The One" or "Atomic Punk" vein. Uptempo, aggressive, yet melodic. And a fantastic Eddie ending to boot.
"Blood And Fire" is my vote for best tune. The clean opening seems quite playful, leading into the verse which plays with the same vibe. The driving beat is classic Halen. It almost ROLLS throughout the song. Another example of Eddie's underappreciated rhythm talents. This may be my new windows-down, summer song. And I rather enjoyed Dave's little aside "Told you I was comin' back". Would've fit on Women & Children First easily.
"Bullethead" returns to the aggressive nature of the opening songs. This one seems almost like it could've come from the Cherone era. Not a favorite, but features some great musicianship.
"As Is"... ain't that the truth. Monstrous drums to begin this song, then breaks into just good-time guitar wanking like only EVH can provide. Another aggressive song. Some heavy Metallica-style tapping in the solo, followed by a classic Dave "a little more volume in the headphones please".
Get past the title of the next song "Honeybabysweetiedoll" and there's a damn good tune in there. Powerful, dirty opening & verse riffs. Heavier than you would expect from such a goofy title. This tune features some sweet stretching in the solo section.
"The Trouble With Never" features two of my favorite lines on the entire disc: "When was the last time you did something for the first time" & the Diamond Dave via Confuscious gem "When you turn on your stereo does it return the favor". Possibly the next single.
"Outta Space" runs with an aggressive riff throughout. Typical Dave simple chorus. Phenomenal EVH solo, deploying all the typical tricks. I could see this tune ending up on VHII.
Next up is my second favorite tune on the disc, "Stay Frosty". Most will compare this to "Ice Cream Man" from the debut, but I think it's more in line with a Women And Children First track. This song displays all the fun of VH: goofy lyrics, rambling guitar riffs, & superb changes... and the denouement guitar jamming is sublime.
Second to last comes "Big River", featuring a simple, yet silky-smooth rhythm groove, which is something EVH is very overlooked for. A nice reflection on what Halen is and always should be. The solo is special because the backing guitar track is dropped, conjuring up thoughts of the debut.
And the big finish, "Beats Workin'"... just a wonderful send off for those fortunate enough to listen to the full disc. Another great groove, consistent with anything from the classic Roth era. The bridge into the chorus is fun as hell when the band drops leaving EVH to emphasize chords over. The breakdown section is everything we've hoped this album would be... groove provided by Alex, rollickin bass line from Wolfie, & tricks galore from Eddie.
I absolutely love this disc... though I think if you dropped "Tattoo" it would be stronger. DLR is spot on vocally, more mature, yet playful as ever. Alex pounds the skins as hard as he pounds the cymbals. Wolfie displays some serious chops (if it is Wolf), and EVH... well EVH is EVH. This guy is in his 50's, right? It's no coincidence that the band has reworked/rerecorded no less than 7 tunes from the classic years. Yet, they hold up so phenomenally, that after listening to it, I can't help but be sad that we haven't heard material like this for 15+ years.
Easily the best disc of '12, and it will take a yeoman's effort to beat it in my ears.
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