Review Summary: I don't give a fuck about my bad reputation
Chris Fronzak, AKA Fronzilla, has definitely been a busy man as of late. Between wallowing in the success of his bands last album, running his own clothing line (which I have shamefully purchased many items from), and partying every day, the man has quite the life. So when Guilty Pleasure was announced I was slightly concerned, the concern stemming from the question: was the fame and the lifestyle that was apparently being lived by the band gonna affect the music in a good or a bad way? The answer? Well, that depends on your definition of good and bad.
This album is probably as close as you're going to get to diversity with Attila, and for what the band aims to be, it's a big positive. It's an energy filled, cacophonous assault of raunchy breakdowns and rap screams, which is basically the epitome of the partycore genre that these guys have come to be known for. The instrumentation is slightly altered, with a guitar tone that oddly resembles Emmure, but still is able to emulate the Southern tinged hip-hop esque feel that that has always resonated in Attila's past releases. Another big factor is Fronzs' vocals, and despite them having somewhat improved, are not atypical to what they have been before, which is also nothing THAT detrimental.
But although there are good things about the album being similar to their previous releases, the repetition also brings the album down in many areas. Attila's lyricism here is at its worst, with songs like "Pizza, Sex, and Trolls" that ramble on about how, "Life is ***ing awesome", and how much Fronz wants to kiss the people who bought the CD. Among the 13 songs on this album, the band has started to discuss things such as jealousy and the dangers of fake friends, though the normal themes of sex, drugs, partying, and not giving a *** about their haters, have never been more prevalent. In the case of addressing their haters, it brings some incredibly cringe-worthy moments, a prime example being the beginning of the title track, "Guilty Pleasure".
There are also some absolutely intolerable lows that this album boasts as well. The tracks "I Am Satan" and "Don't Be Basic" are both around 20 seconds and contribute near zero to the album, one being nothing but mumbled groans over faded guitar, and the other being a less than insightful speech on jealousy and how, as the song says, you shouldn't be basic. The oddest song on the tracking comes in the form of "Break My Addiction", which shockingly addresses a serious subject, in the form of dealing with addiction. Although it's a change of pace and a good glimpse at what the band would be if it wasn't so rowdy, it's completely out of place with the rest of the album and just blatantly hinders the overall mentality of Attila.
Overall, Guilty Pleasure is a decent follow up to About That Life. It's full of life and just what's expected from this group, but obviously, it's not art. It's a bunch of immature 20-something year olds that love what they do, and what they do is make angry partycore for rebellious teenagers. Take that as you want, but undeniably, the band is less than original, less than innovative, and lyrically impaired, and those facts haven't been more front and center since Soundtrack To A Party. Is it fun? Yes. Is it their best album? One of the farthest from it.
Recommended Tracks:
Pizza, Sex, and Trolls
Rebel
Proving Grounds
The Cure
