Review Summary: An album surrounded with a bunch of issues.
Founder and ex-member of Hollywood Undead, Deuce, has had an interesting solo career since his exit for whatever reason from the band. His debut album, Nine Lives, decided to keep with the sound from their debut album, Swan Songs, but it definitely lacked something to be desired. After some touring and adding guitarist James Kloeppel to his lineup, Deuce started getting to work with his second album in 2013. Invincible was claimed to be completed and mixed by late 2014, but being held up by legal issues, label issues, or both. In 2015, the album was “leaked” and to keep it short – it was a major step up from previous efforts with more mature material. Eventually an official release was announced with the label requesting more tracks, and more tracks, and more tracks until they were satisfied. Unfortunately, some of better tracks that had been written with time and fleshed out had been replaced with rushed music that scaled from generic to just plain awful.
Tracks that weren’t cut like “Catch Me If You Can,” “It’s Alright, It’s Okay,” and “Pull Me Under” are still very well done tracks, it’s just that with the change of album as a whole they felt very misplaced. Where these tracks explore more hard rock, post-hardcore, and pop-punk directions, the rest of the album sported that rap rock sound from Nine Lives. “Thank You” was also kept and again, feels very misplaced, whether it’s for the same fact that the ballad feels misplaced on the album as whole, or just misplaced in the general position of the tracklist. “Talkin’ About You” was written with the original tracks of the album and you can tell based on Deuce’s stronger vocal performance, and the well done guitars. It features some rapping from a past collaborator, Gadjet, and these two did work very well together on the track.
I don’t think all of the newer tracks that Deuce made later are terrible. “World On Fire” is probably the best new track on the album because it felt as though at least a little bit of work went into it. Strong instrumentals from Kloeppel, well written chorus, the singing doesn’t seem forced, but I understand that it could be ruined by the simple rhyming rap verses. “Gone Tomorrow, Here Today” is middle of row, but again I at least a bit of effort going this track, especially in the pre-chrous. I know that it isn’t a particularly good song, but “Bitch This Is It” is just a fun track for me cause it has a good beat and Deuce sounds like he’s actually having fun.
As strong as the leaked version seemed, it still had some flaws that managed to stay on the official version as well. Tracks like “My Buddy” and the title track was Deuce still tipping his toes into his older sound. They were weak tracks before and they still remain weak tracks, especially “My Buddy.” They’re not amusing, they’re not well written, but they fit the overall sound the label trying to construct. “Here I Come,” Hell’s Gonna Break Loose,” and “Best of Me” were definitely the low ends of the new tracks. Deuce sounds bored as raps simple rhymes on generic beats. “Best of Me” has a somewhat redeemable quality as it reminiscent of tracks from before even his Hollywood Undead days with the guitar work. However, at the end these tracks aren’t at all well done.
It took five years for an official release of Invincible and when it was released, Better Noise had changed so much that it wasn’t at all the intended direction Deuce originally had. The label cannot take the blame fully, as Deuce could’ve refused to keep the album the same, or have written better tracks upon the label’s request. It seems quite disappointing that when it seems like a musician finds a sound that works for him, it’s reverted back several steps to something that made his previous effort sound like a magnum opus. At the end of the day, this official release is nothing short of a bunch sounds clunked together to make an inconsistent, filler filled album. I do hope Deuce is able to write something similar to the original and is able to keep it from being tainted by the host of issues surrounding Invincible.
