Review Summary: In this case it's more like Attempt at Mediocrity.
In concept, it was all very intriguing. A new band founded by unknown twin brothers Votta on drums and guitar together with former
Guns n’ Roses guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and current
Disturbed bassist John Moyer. On vocals the ever talented but unfortunately past his prime
Scott Weiland, who doesn’t need a special introduction. With these components at hand, we could have easily expected a solid hard rock album in the end of the equation. But no such luck.
For some inexplicable (and clear only to him) reason Weiland started to deny his involvement with the band before the debut album was released. Even though his vocals were already a part of the LP, and he himself participated in accompanying promotional photoshoots and was in a video for the first single, Scott claimed that he just recorded the vocals over the stereo tracks sent to him (in exchange for money, of course), but otherwise he had nothing to do with
Art of Anarchy. Definitely, not the most promising beginning for the new band.
In fact, while listening the record there is a constant feeling that Weiland indeed didn’t want to be in the band. Certainly the album has its number of interesting moments, but in general Scott’s vocals on the AoA debut can be with no compunction considered as his weakest work. The always multi-faceted, versatile and capable of creating the necessary moods, here the vocalist often sounds insincere and detached, occasionally slipping to undisguised and frank monotony, resembling a lifeless machine (as on
Time Everytime, for example, one of the worst tracks). Also not all of his choices and decisions tie in greatly with the music, leading to a sense of discord, which some listeners may feel. There is a number of somewhat interesting cuts –
Small Batch Whiskey,
Grand Applause, the first single
Til the Dust Is Gone,
Aqualung, – but all in all Weiland feels out of place here. A while back quite a few critics and music lovers stated similar observations in relation to the
Velvet Revolver debut, but, in this reviewer’s opinion, such statement is valid for this album.
The instrumental components also leaves an ambiguous impression. Yes, the performances are all confident and professional, but this is not the point. There is a general feeling that the band is not sure what it wants to sound like. As such, the choices made tend to look like an approach of throwing all the ideas in just to see what sticks and what falls off. Some of the songs seem clearly underdone and unfinished (as the threadbare
Time Everytime), some lack additional polish and editing. Difficult to say why Art of Anarchy chose to release the album in such a half-baked state, but it is certain that they do need a leader or somebody to play that role in the studio.
And what do we have as a result? To be honest the diagnosis is rather disappointing but not beyond recovery. Truth be told, the Art of Anarchy debut album is more interesting for all the drama surrounding its release, than for its individual musical accomplishments. The only reason to listen to this LP is the fact that it ended up being the last recording by Scott Weiland, a person of undeniable talent, but one tortured by his inner demons until the very end. As for the rest of the band, their future seems to be hazy and uncertain.
