Van Halen – “A Different Kind Of Truth” album review (9 Feb 2012)So first up, in this review I am NOT going to address Van Halen’s tumultuous past history, make any singer-versus-singer comparisons, or bass-player-versus-bass-player comparisons. What I AM going to do is discuss the Van Halen here and now, who have just released their first full album of new material in more than 13 years. It is called “A Different Kind Of Truth”, and judging from the already multitudinous listener and reviewer comments online in forums and other social media, people overwhelmingly feel this album is nothing short of EPIC.
And I agree with them
To appropriately convey my own thoughts and feelings about “ADKOT”, I thought to have a look at the album from a macro and micro level - as a whole, and also as parts that make a whole.
So to begin with the whole: these are the things that impress me about “ADKOT” as an album, whether musical (listening as a fellow musician and guitarist), or personal (listening as a member of the general audience, or even as a VH appreciator (I hate the word “fan”)).
• Dave and Eddie are making music together again. Most bands that become legendary do so because of something uniquely identifiable about them and their sound – something that can be often imitated, but never duplicated. And hearing “ADKOT” I instantly heard what made me fall in love with Van Halen in the first place – Eddie’s guitar along with Dave’s voice. Hearing these new songs brought it all back home – close your eyes and put on any of these tracks for the first time, and you’ll INSTANTLY hear it - THIS is Van Halen. I smiled gleefully all the way through my first full listen – it’s just magic
• Individually, it’s great that Dave is back. He IS quintessential Van Halen as much as Mick Jagger is Rolling Stones. Hearing his voice is like having a glass of your favourite drink – you know what to expect and it never disappoints. And hearing his lyric style – his intelligent, witty, whimsical and yet wise rhyme, really brings home one of those particular parts which made Van Halen stick out from the rest.
• And again, it’s particularly great hearing Eddie playing again. It pained me to not hear anything substantial from him for the last ten-plus years – he has contributed too much (and with “ADKOT” Ed proves he has a lot more to contribute) to the world of contemporary music and guitar playing – and his absence was notable. Hell, hearing “ADKOT” also excited me for a totally non-Van Halen-related (albeit related!) reason: considering the cess pool that is (a majority of) the current contemporary music scene, with auto-tune frauds classified as musicians, 3-chord players being called “good guitarists”, and a calibre of music on the airwaves and TV channels being strongly correlatable to contributing to the falling IQ of its audience, there is hope that some of the younger generation will hear their older family and friends playing “ADKOT” and ask “What is that? How did they do that?”, and maybe pick up a guitar and learn to play it proficiently, or learn to play in a band that can hold its own live, or even learn to write original songs (hearing the ridiculous proportion of current songs regurgitating/sampling former hits, song-writing could do with being promoted). “ADKOT” may even help a little with that. Maybe
• Something else unique and immediately identifiable was Alex’s drum sound. I have forever said Alex’s snare sound is the best I have ever heard, and it is here again in all its glory (and secrecy in the way it is recorded!). Beautiful to hear his kit and him playing the hell out of it, double pedals and all. The drumming is superlative on “ADKOT”.
• Eddie’s son Wolfgang is INDREDIBLE. More than holding a rhythm part, he can play co-lead alongside his dad (sounding not unlike Billy Sheehan either), and actually adds a technical and musical dimension to the songs on “ADKOT”. Looking forward to what he does in the upcoming years alongside his dad or even solo.
• “ADKOT” is cleverly assembled from past demos as well as new compositions, and I think that is actually one of its major strengths. To those who criticise that Van Halen looked into their unreleased material for inspiration, my only retort is this: they wrote it. Thus they can do whatever the hell they like with it. And what Van Halen do with their earlier demos on “ADKOT” is KILLER. In fact every (previously unreleased demo) track on “ADKOT” is better IMO than its original incarnation. And heavier too.
• Did I mention heavy? “ADKOT” from all accounts may be Van Halen’s heaviest album to date. With a “no bull$hit” attitude to the song line-up, “ADKOT” is thirteen tracks of unapologetic, heavy, in-your-face, hard rock ‘n roll. Again a pleasure to hear, over and over.
• Then there’s the production. Just excellent. As I mentioned earlier, “ADKOT” sounds (to me) like a combination of the first four Van Halen records, but with 2011 production. It’s clear across the spectrum – each instrument finds its own space, yet together there is a wall of sound, equal parts exciting, pleasurable, and deafening (assuming most listeners will be listening with the volume knob turned “UP”). The strength of “ADKOT”’s production means the album not only sounds current, but still also manages to sound classic (part of that “uniquely identifiable” angle aforementioned). “ADKOT” simply sounds 100% Van Halen.
• Lastly, I love that the album clocks in at only 50 minutes or so. There has been for the longest time a trend or movement to fill a CD’s 76+ minute capacity, but more often than not there is a lot of filler by any artist delivering an album of such length – and it actually is a turn-off for repeated listening. In fact, with such albums I often cull the tracks down to the ones I like – and get a 15-25 minute playlist without the rubbish. So noting “ADKOT” was only about 50 minutes made me smile – just long enough to deliver a knockout punch, then they’re out – leaving you wanting more. Just another of the album’s winning traits, and makes for enjoyable repeated listening.
On with looking at the individual songs.
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“Tattoo”. I must say on first listen “Tattoo” left me decidedly underwhelmed. Had Van Halen gone with (eg) “She’s The Woman”, “Blood And Fire”, or “The Trouble With Never”, I would have been most impressed and giddy with “they’re back!!” happiness. But in retrospect, I think “Tattoo” was chosen to be the first single by all concerned because it is the most easily accessible track on “ADKOT”, and also the most radio-friendly. It is a grower, but it also is very formulaic and pedestrian, and to me is one of the weaker tracks on “ADKOT”, so much so it actually feels out of place amongst the other twelve tracks. In fact, if “ADKOT” started with “She’s The Woman” (omitting “Tattoo” altogether), “Tattoo” to me would not be missed. But as is, it isn’t a bad song, and should work well live.
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“She’s The Woman”. Fan-fricken-tastic reworking of the earlier demo. Eddie’s main riff is simple yet delicious, and whenever Wolfie doubles him it kicks ass. When Dave comes in you are immediately reconnected with WHY you love Van Halen. And nice ‘n short at 2.58 – a great set-up track for the rest of the album.
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“You And Your Blues”. Gorgeous number. From Eddie’s staccato opening riff, to Roth’s vocal, to the beautiful “Ahh ahhhs” in the chorus, and the killer bridge and solo, this is one of the best tracks on “ADKOT” (tho there are many!). Could even be a single.
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“China Town”. Killer track. Reminds me of something that could have been on “Eat ‘Em And Smile” eg “Elephant Gun”. Technical pyromania from all concerned. Particularly love Wolfie’s work on this – very Billy Sheehan-esque. He has the chops. Respect. Ed goes off, and reminds you how sorely missed he was. Welcome back EVH
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“Blood And Fire”. Again, love it (a common sentiment for the songs on this album!). A great reworking of “Ripley”, and by the sounds of it Ed recorded it with his stereo Ripley guitar – love its tone – so mid 80s. The funny thing about this track is that, tho its motif is the well-used theme of the trials and tribulations of being in a band with the “we’ll never be overcome” chorus – and most often these songs sound corny and pretty tragic, Van Halen totally pull it off, predominantly because Dave sings it so tongue-firmly-planted-in-cheek. Unashamedly auto-biographic, Dave’s breakdown in the bridge of “Told you I was comin’ back... say you missed me... say it like you mean it” is pure gold, very very clever, and will have the audience in hysterical raptures live. And it puts the listener on a tremendous high as a lead-in to possibly Eddie’s best solo on the record (and there are a hell of a lot of good ones on this album!). Frenetic and joyous, Ed’s solo is a cross between those on “Dreams” and “5150”, and almost cockily reminds the audience that there is only one Edward Van Halen. Watch YouTube get flooded with imitators’ attempts at this one
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“Bullethead”. Another heavy track, this “pedal to the metal” number sees first official light of day since its inception in 1977. The shortest track on the album at 2.32, “Bullethead” is ‘hit and run’ material, smacking you aurally and gone before you know it. Tho not the strongest track on the album, it’s a solid rocker whose energy can be summarised by the primal scream at the end of the track (who is that?!?). Love Dave’s musings eg “How many roads must a man walk down, before he admits he’s lost?”, and “Some days you’re the dog, some days you’re the hydrant”, as well as Alex’s single high-hat count-ins on this one.
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“As Is”. One of the best tracks on the album. A little in the vein of “Hot For Teacher”, this heavy albeit funky and quirky track is another technical workout for all involved. Interesting philosophising from Dave, and terrific double-pedal work from Alex. And is that a Yiddish nod at the end with the “La La Laas”? The first time I heard the song fading out I was like, “keep the guitars up over the fadeout!” And they did. Love it!
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“Honeybabysweetiedoll”. Has become my favourite track on the album. Dark and mysterious, it is one of the heaviest tracks Van Halen have ever recorded. An absolute killer main riff from Ed, and eastern-influenced soloing makes this a fascinating track. It also doesn’t have the conventional 'verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus' structure – it’s actually a little like the track “Skyscraper”. Brilliant track from its ‘radio-frequency-meets-plectrum-on-strings’ beginning to the song sounding like it’s ‘being sucked down a drain’ ending – and Van Halen throw everything at this one – including (Dave’s?) dog. Literally. Outstanding number – Van Halen reminding us they can easily smack the ball out of the ballpark when they feel like doing so. In fact, “ADKOT” is full of these songs – not mere home runs – but SMACKED OUTTA THE PARK.
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“The Trouble With Never”. Loved it from the first time it leaked. Reminds me again of some of Dave’s quality solo work off “Eat ‘Em And Smile”. Another A-Grade gem (is there a bad track on this record?!?). From the guitar-bass unison intro to the catchy hooks and chorus, to Ed’s wah-saturated brilliance, the song keeps just enough sanity about itself to be another possible single-contender. Or not. “ADKOT” will do fine without the support of radio I’m sure.
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“Outta Space”. A reworking of “Let’s Get Rockin’”, but with more interesting lyrics, this track sounds like it could have replaced “On Fire” on VH1. Great track for its position on the album, and another short ‘n sweet number at 2.54. Time to change our galaxy? Nah – they ain’t got Van Halen.
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“Stay Frosty”. Ok yes, “Ice Cream Man” 2011 – but it still kicks ass and makes you smile. Fabulously cool track. Its “down on the farm” intro goes into a classic rockin’ blues number with fun yet poignant lyrics from Dave and great soloing from Ed. Will work great live.
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“Big River”. We’re at the second last track on the album and “ADKOT” shows no signs of letting up. “Big River” is a faithful reworking of “Big Trouble”, with Wolfie thumping out a very “Runnin’ With The Devil” bottom end, and some tasteful work from Ed – actually somewhat minimalist compared to quite a few other tracks on the album, but just enough. Particularly like his work on the song’s outro – and in fact, I think that “ADKOT” would have worked perfectly with this track being its last (see below).
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“Beats Workin”. Conversely to other opinions I’ve read, I actually think this is “ADKOT”’s weakest track, and I more often than not skip it, ending my album listen on “Big River”. Never really dug “Put Out The Lights” either, and even tho “Beats Workin” sounds far better, it still doesn’t seal the deal for me. Not a big fan of the “Day Tripper” (Beatles) nod either – even tho Wolfie’s bass does sound cool thru the distortion. Not a terrible track by any means, and many people like it, but for mine there are 12 better tracks on this record. However, 12 great tracks (out of 13) is still amazing - a rare feat for anyone – I hardly hear an album where I like more than half its content.
So there you have it. My review of Van Halen’s “A Different Kind Of Truth”. Sorry for the length – but the lengthy wait we all endured - and a slightly nervous one at that, set the stage for a lot of inevitable discussion once any new Van Halen material saw the light of day. And when “Tattoo” was initially released I was even more nervous. But all fears were alleviated on my first listen of “ADKOT” – it is a killer album and IMO one of Van Halen’s best – it really is classic Van Halen thru and thru. I have played it more than 40 times in six days (it went on sale in Australia on the 3rd), and am still thoroughly enjoying it (and learning it – there’s a lot in there to take-in – and that needs multiple listens!). Congrats to Van Halen, their production crew, and their marketing/promo dep’t (the teasers were very clever and totally got me hooked, as I’m sure they did a lot of you). Van Halen are definitely back, and “A Different Kind Of Truth” is a winner – a ball smashed outta the park, or maybe a train barrelling down the tracks at you… naysayers don’t get in its way.
“A+”.
5150
