Review Summary: Eagles of Death Metal creates an album that mixes up catchy rockers with chill easy listening songs to create what can only be described as an excellent album.
The first time I listened to “Heart On”, the newest installment to the Eagles of Death Metal line up, I was constantly waiting to be let down. As soon as the first track ended I thought to myself, I am going to hate this album by the time I finish it because there is no way that they can continue to create such catchy riffs and lyrics, this one song must be a fluke, there is no way the rest of the disk will be this good. Well let me tell you kiddies, I was wrong, and it is.
The album starts off with “Anything ‘cept the truth”, and it is incredibly fun to listen to. This is one of those songs that you will just leave on repeat and listen to for an entire drive as you soak in and enjoy everything this song has to offer. The two guitar riffs mesh together incredibly well creating this “good ol’ boys” feel that will have you wishing you were in some Louisiana dive bar with your biker buddies. Then the lyrics kick in and if you thought the two guitar riffs meshed well, the vocals will blow your mind. Josh and Jesse sing as one lays down some superb singing as the other sings over him in falsetto. The voices blend extremely well and this continues throughout the rest of the album.
This first song was so good, and I’m not sure, it just gave me the feel that the rest of the album was just not going to be on par, but as the tracks continued I was proved wrong again and again. Even when the tracks aren’t rockin-out-loud with multiple guitar tracks and overly impressive vocals, it’s still incredibly catchy and just a good listen. The second track, “Wanna Be in L.A.” Is very quiet, yet very quick and upbeat song with an almost jazzy feel to it. Although it is quite different than the first song it still comes across as incredibly cool, and you fide yourself getting into it so easily.
The rest of the album plays a lot like that. A few songs will be in your face attention grabbers and the rest will be subtle, not necessarily quiet, but just chill. And it’s at the starts of these songs where the “Ahhh I’ve found the track that doesn’t hold up to par” feeling comes in, but it soon fades as the song continues and you find yourself groovin’ to the incredibly cool beats.
Another thing to note is that Eagles of Death Metal have decided to get serious about their writing. I’m not saying that they’ve changed a lot, I’m just saying that it’s a different feel. It’s something new, and it’s a very welcomed change. They have completely lost that “ready, set, record” feel of the first album and everything is crisp, clear, and well mixed. You can really sense the Queens of Stone Age elements in there. Homme brings a lot to the table and once again shows his increasing musical talent.
Even if you have never listened to Eagles of Death Metal, even if you have never even heard of them, I suggest you go out and pick up this album. It’s just so well done, extremely catchy, and it just leaves you wanting more of the same. Its in your face rockers mixed well with its chill, easy listening songs to create a great album as a whole. This record has everything, and I’m interested to see where they will go from here.
