Van Halen : A Different Kind of Truth

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/vanhalenadifferentkindoftruth.jpg" alt="Van Halen : A Different Kind of Truth" /><br /> Settling for good enough does not make something great.<span> <br /> </span> ...
Van Halen : A Different Kind of Truth
3.6 Van Halen 

Van Halen : A Different Kind of Truth Van Halen are a timeless band.  Albums like Van Halen and 1984 rank right up there with some of the best rock albums the world has ever seen.  But as with all the reunions and comebacks that have been all the rage in recent musical history, the question must be asked: are some things better left alone? 

Listeners will find themselves asking that exact question upon listening to the rock gods’ brand new reunion album A Different Kind of Truth – their first studio album since the release of Van Halen III in 1998 with short-lived singer Gary Charone, and their first with original singer David Lee Roth since 1984.

Present here are many things that diehard Van Halen fans will know and love like shredding guitar solos, booming drums, and Roth shouting random awkward things like, "Say you missed me!"  But it’s all a little too familiar; too similar to successes of the past.  Here’s an example, there’s a fun track towards the end of A Different Kind of Truth called "Stay Frosty".  Does it remind you of anything?  Here’s a hint: ice cream.   

This is the problem with modern day comebacks.  Bands are more interested in existing for nostalgia purposes rather than paying due respect to their medium by creating something truly new and worthwhile.  All A Different Kind of Truth exemplifies is a band that, yes, is still as talented as ever at what they are known for, but not talented at crafting something new and exploring new territory.  It becomes a question of, "Is this band getting together for the sake of art or for the sake of making money off of people who want to see a reunion?"

It’s definitely a fun record with lots of hard-rocking classic Van Halen moments found on songs like "She’s the Woman", "Bullethead", and "Outta Space", but it will not do the trick for listeners looking for an evolved sound.  The song "As Is" sounds exactly like these guys got in a room, guitarist Eddie Van Halen told brother/drummer Alex to play a fast beat he could shred over and told Roth to do random squeals and they just left it, you guessed it, as is. 

Here are a few examples of that ‘too familiar’ sound mentioned above: "You and Your Blues" formerly known as "Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love", "Stay Frosty" formerly known as "Ice Cream Man", and "Big River" formerly known as "Runnin’ With the Devil".

If Van Halen aren’t careful, moves like this are going to de-throne them from timeless status and shove them right into the realm of Kiss, Aerosmith, and Mötley Crüe – in other words, bands you wish would just go away

To sum up A Different Kind of Truth in one sentence: settling for good enough does not make something great. 

A quote from the album’s lead single "Tattoo" seems like a good example of where Van Halen’s collective head is these days, "Show me your dragon magic / So autobiographic."

Enough said.

MP3 Stream: "Stay Frosty"

{audio}/mp3/files/Van Halen – Stay Frosty.mp3{/audio}

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