Review Summary: It’s maddening how great this album is.
Following the release of their eponymous debut album in 2015
Art of Anarchy had to start everything almost from scratch. The vocalist, who participated in the recording, turned his back to the band because of some unclear reasons, so the required promotion was cut short from the get-go. (However, you might say that bad press is still press.) After a period of involuntary silence, in May 2016 the band named their new singer, who happened to be
Scott Stapp, the former
Creed vocalist. This was followed with a live debut of the new line-up in October, and already in March 2017 they release the second album (and the topic of today’s discussion) called
The Madness.
It is as clear as day that this madness doesn’t act only as a name for the LP, but serves as somewhat of a recurring theme for it. It is most certain that the events in the history of the band and the issues Stapp went through a few years ago influenced their first joint effort. Even though we shouldn’t expect a highbrow concept album, what we can hope for is a collection of sturdy and energetic songs. And these
The Madness has aplenty.
Upon listening to the album, you immediately notice that this time the band has a better understanding of the sound it wants to achieve. The length of almost all tracks barely exceed 3.5 minutes, which results in not a single song overstaying its welcome (and sometimes even ending too soon), in turn leading to an enjoyable, pleasant and unforced listen (supported by the LP’s short duration of 37 minutes). This time, unlike the unnecessarily cumbersome record from 2015, the band discarded every attempt to produce more complex melodic structures, focusing instead on the appropriate pop standards, which turns out beneficial for us, the audience, and the
The Madness. The quality of all 10 cuts on the record is maintained on practically the same level, so that any of the tracks can be successfully played on the radio. One of the apparent factors for such focus is definitely the participation of Howard Benson, the producer who had a hand in a number of successful releases in the 2000s.
As for Stapp, it should be admitted he acquits himself completely. You can have different opinions of him as a person. You can claim that he is not one of the most versatile and interesting of the singers. But it can also be stated that his straightforward, passionate and bombastic manner aligns completely with the band’s updated sound. All the required emotions he conveys with broad but assured strokes while keeping in mind the prerequisite hooks and catchy melodies. He firmly keeps pace with his band members, creating a sense of chemistry and cohesion, which lacked on their debut. Moreover, you can absolutely hear the joy Stapp experiences from working with his new partners-in-crime.
Without a doubt,
The Madness is a success. Yes, surely, this success is only local in terms of the overall music scope. The record will not set the world on fire, but it definitely deserves its share of popularity on the radio and among the devotees of solid and well-made hard rock. For this reason, we can congratulate Art of Anarchy on the new (and a lot more successful) debut and wish them further accomplishments. In the meantime, we can look forward to their third album, which hopefully is on the horizon.
