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Hoobastank
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Every Man For Himself
Island Records
Release: 5/16/2006
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Rated:
Review by:
Morley Seaver
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It's almost too easy to write off Hoobastank sometimes. Like
Staind, The All-American Rejects and other strong songwriting
bands, occasionally you tend to dismiss the material as
faceless… or maybe that's just me. My tastes run to the harder
edge of things most times and while I enjoy the mainstream
melodic stuff, sometimes I just let things such as this get by
me. But the band that gave us the monster single "The Reason"
a few years back has returned with a record that shows them
utterly on top of their game and is something that will score
with a wide audience given the chance.
If you were to listen to Every Man For Himself,
you'd find a strong record that not only has terrifically-written
songs, but also some really inspired moments where the band
(vocalist Douglas Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin and drummer Chris
Hesse) rocks out of its measured pace.
The album begins with an intro of a drill sergeant taken from, I
think, Full Metal Jacket. The military beat gives
way to "Born to Lead," an upbeat rocker that has your feet
tapping harder bit by bit. The crunch of "Inside of You" is a
good cut with the guitar carrying the flag all the way
through.
Robb's compelling voice enters in "The First of Me," a great cut
that starts off sparsely before yielding to the ever-growing
rhythm. As well, the vocalist doesn't sound any better than he
does in "Good Enough," possibly the best cut on the record. It
combines both a melodic bent with some edgy guitar that
scores high on the favor meter. Most impressive is the
tour-de-force, "More Than a Memory," a slow-building
winner.
Of the 13 songs on this record, there isn't one that is kind of
iffy. Varying the material slightly throughout the set has meant
Hoobastank has a record you can play over and over without
the interest level waning. Quality stuff. |
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