Review Summary: When Legends Fall.
If I didn’t hear ‘I Stand Alone’ every hour, then it was probably because ‘Voodoo’ or ‘Whatever’ took its place. Godsmack were one of those unescapable radio acts of the 2000’s. Few if any bands were able to define the genre they were in. Godsmack was the pure embodiment of alt-metal. Their style, attitude, and music were the mental image of the tough-guy attitude the genre wore on its sleeve. They were simple, catchy, and marketable enough to make it big. They were also able to escape the genre’s sinking ship unscathed.
When Legends Rise is the latest installment into the groups discography. It works as a sequel of sorts to
1000hp and continuer the softer more emotional side of Godsmack.
Rise’s bright anthemic tone is an attempt to light a comeback, but much as it entails, it doesn’t always hit a home run.
When Legends Rise is a desperate strive to grab some mainstream attention. By shedding the angry, dated angst of 2003, Godsmack adorns a sound closer to Shinedown to turn a new leaf.
Legends doesn’t feel like a Godsmack album. The texture is like a soft rock album. There’s a lighter atmosphere compared to previous installments. It’s almost like a pop-rock album, but not nearly as modern. It’s such a weird choice from a band like Godsmack who always was considered one of the heavy bands. The length is very forgiving by running just under 40 minutes. The mixing is horrible and works against the album in heavier songs. The lead guitar and vocals are ten-times louder than the bass and drums. Their almost nonexistent in tracks like ‘Someday’ and ‘Just One Time.’ There isn’t much energy or character in
Legends. It doesn’t pop or impact the listener upon first listen.
Fortunately there is diversity in
When Legends Rise. ‘Say My Name’ and ‘Eye of the Storm’ are closer to their older work. ‘Under Your Scars’ is the token ballad for the album. The lyrics ruin a majority of songs. The first verse starts with “Do we make sense? I think we do/In spite of everything that we've been through.” It only gets worse with cliché metaphors like, “And you say black, and I say white/It's not about who's wrong/As long as it feels right.” ‘Let it Out’ has a boring chorus that overstates, “So let it out, let it go/Just spit it out straight ‘til I'm not breathing.” ‘Unforgettable’ boasts a “whoa-oh” style that doesn’t fit with anything else going on. Otherwise, listeners are treated to dated angsty lyrics like, “Living with these shadows separating what I've done/And chasing the illusions of who I once was,” from ‘Someday.’
When Legends Rise tries too hard to be relevant. It’s boring, lazy, and overall irrelevant to anything going on. It doesn’t offer anything worthy of a glance. There isn’t a generic banger to justify its existence. Its lighter themes are barely developed since they regress to usual standards. The poor production doesn’t help either. Even songs like ‘Eye of the Storm’ are tarnished by the lack of substance produced. Most songs sound the same with big choruses and subtle verses. It’s formulaic and contrived to the point of skipping songs to find something appealing. I can see why people enjoyed
When Legends Rise. It has a similar appeal to
ATTENTION ATTENTION where the group adopts a more palatable tone. I wouldn’t recommend
When Legends Rise to anyone regardless. It’s bland and uninspired, but that’s what we expect from Godsmack.
Standout Tracks
N/A
