Interscope
2012
1. Tattoo
2. She's The Woman
3. You And Your Blues
4. China Town
5. Blood And Fire
6. Bullethead
7. As Is
8. Honeybabysweetiedoll
9. The Trouble With Never
10. Outta Space
11. Stay Frosty
12. Big River
13. Beats Workin
Well, this is something of an oddball review here, but I'm gonna write it anyways. A little outside my normal scope, but I'd say there's enough interest in this one in Metal circles to give it a go. I'll preface this review by saying I've always been more of a Hagar VH fan, but I do enjoy EVH when he's on so this was something I had to listen to. Note that I would not qualify this album as metal, strictly speaking, and it will not be eligible for year end top lists, etc, etc.
I'll start off by saying that I almost didn't want to listen to this album, even if like I said, I sorta had to. This is because of intro track and first single Tattoo which is just plain awful. The song has no life/energy to it, is completely goofy, and is not remotely catchy. The sound of this song practically turns my stomach and had me fully prepared to listen to something on the level of Van Halen III. Everyone kept telling me that the rest of the album was better though and in fairness I've actually heard one worse single this year already (thanks Freedom Call).
After Tattoo ends things do immediately improve at least. She's The Woman is pretty upbeat and rocking. Does have all the energy and heaviness that Tattoo was completely lacking. Sounds pretty classic VH really. Maybe not single quality as compared to some of their classic albums, but certainly it would have been a better single than Tattoo and wouldn't sound out of place on an older VH album. The chorus and guitar have a nice sound here and at the least this song kept some hope for the album alive when I was listening to it.
From there on what I found from this album was kind of a mixed bag. There's everything from decently catchy songs with good flow like Blood & Fire, Big River, and Outta Space to awkward numbers like Bullethead where David Lee Roth seems to not really get the rhythm of the song and things end up sounding tossed together. There's also tracks where DLR just plain rambles like Honeybabysweetiedoll. It seems to me listening to this that the weak link really is DLR. Sometimes when he starts droning on in a flat middle range or becomes too random this album loses me. The guitar is certainly the hero of the show and EVH is in pretty good form on songs like Chinatown which has a nice classic EVH guitar intro and some strong leads. Once again though the vocals of that one don't quite hit it home. I can't help thinking the addition of some good backing vocals by one Michael Anthony might have helped a bit as well.
I think A Different Kind Of Truth, judging by what the album is and the early press I've seen, is the sort of release that's destined to be overrated early and then not played that frequently. I can see DLR Van Halen fans getting excited he's back and that the band at least isn't sucking like they did with Cherone, but I can't see the same fans reaching for this album nearly as much as the classic releases either. I think the hard truth about this one is that while it certainly is more palatable and familiar, it doesn't really have songs that will stand the test of time. Middle of the road is better than where this band was, but I think a reality check is also in order. I don't really hear new classics or overall Great songs. The vocals don't quite come through with anthemic rock choruses and the guitar doesn't quite hit me with an unforgettable solo.
The bottom line.... This isn't a bad release and for Van Halen fans that is a huge improvement (even if rock bottom makes an improvement easier). I do think people are getting carried away with this album judged on it's own merits however. To me it sounds like what it is... a bunch of old dudes getting together and trying to conjure up memories of the glory days. They don't do a half bad job of it, but is this on par with what Van Halen has done in the past? I wouldn't go that far. Sounds a wee bit forced to me.
Highlights: Big River, She's The Woman, Blood & Fire
Rating - 3.0/5
2. She's The Woman
3. You And Your Blues
4. China Town
5. Blood And Fire
6. Bullethead
7. As Is
8. Honeybabysweetiedoll
9. The Trouble With Never
10. Outta Space
11. Stay Frosty
12. Big River
13. Beats Workin
Well, this is something of an oddball review here, but I'm gonna write it anyways. A little outside my normal scope, but I'd say there's enough interest in this one in Metal circles to give it a go. I'll preface this review by saying I've always been more of a Hagar VH fan, but I do enjoy EVH when he's on so this was something I had to listen to. Note that I would not qualify this album as metal, strictly speaking, and it will not be eligible for year end top lists, etc, etc.
I'll start off by saying that I almost didn't want to listen to this album, even if like I said, I sorta had to. This is because of intro track and first single Tattoo which is just plain awful. The song has no life/energy to it, is completely goofy, and is not remotely catchy. The sound of this song practically turns my stomach and had me fully prepared to listen to something on the level of Van Halen III. Everyone kept telling me that the rest of the album was better though and in fairness I've actually heard one worse single this year already (thanks Freedom Call).
After Tattoo ends things do immediately improve at least. She's The Woman is pretty upbeat and rocking. Does have all the energy and heaviness that Tattoo was completely lacking. Sounds pretty classic VH really. Maybe not single quality as compared to some of their classic albums, but certainly it would have been a better single than Tattoo and wouldn't sound out of place on an older VH album. The chorus and guitar have a nice sound here and at the least this song kept some hope for the album alive when I was listening to it.
From there on what I found from this album was kind of a mixed bag. There's everything from decently catchy songs with good flow like Blood & Fire, Big River, and Outta Space to awkward numbers like Bullethead where David Lee Roth seems to not really get the rhythm of the song and things end up sounding tossed together. There's also tracks where DLR just plain rambles like Honeybabysweetiedoll. It seems to me listening to this that the weak link really is DLR. Sometimes when he starts droning on in a flat middle range or becomes too random this album loses me. The guitar is certainly the hero of the show and EVH is in pretty good form on songs like Chinatown which has a nice classic EVH guitar intro and some strong leads. Once again though the vocals of that one don't quite hit it home. I can't help thinking the addition of some good backing vocals by one Michael Anthony might have helped a bit as well.
I think A Different Kind Of Truth, judging by what the album is and the early press I've seen, is the sort of release that's destined to be overrated early and then not played that frequently. I can see DLR Van Halen fans getting excited he's back and that the band at least isn't sucking like they did with Cherone, but I can't see the same fans reaching for this album nearly as much as the classic releases either. I think the hard truth about this one is that while it certainly is more palatable and familiar, it doesn't really have songs that will stand the test of time. Middle of the road is better than where this band was, but I think a reality check is also in order. I don't really hear new classics or overall Great songs. The vocals don't quite come through with anthemic rock choruses and the guitar doesn't quite hit me with an unforgettable solo.
The bottom line.... This isn't a bad release and for Van Halen fans that is a huge improvement (even if rock bottom makes an improvement easier). I do think people are getting carried away with this album judged on it's own merits however. To me it sounds like what it is... a bunch of old dudes getting together and trying to conjure up memories of the glory days. They don't do a half bad job of it, but is this on par with what Van Halen has done in the past? I wouldn't go that far. Sounds a wee bit forced to me.
Highlights: Big River, She's The Woman, Blood & Fire
Rating - 3.0/5
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