Review Summary: "It's Limp Bizkit being Limp Bizkit"
Yep, you guessed it, Limp Bizkit is back with their first album in 10 years with their original line-up being Fred Durst on Vocals, Wes Borland on Guitars, Sam Rivers on Bass, John Otto on Drums and DJ Lethal for Sound Effects and Samples. The last time we heard that line up was on the classic album “Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water”, at this point you are thinking “Classic”, what?? You’re kidding, haha... no, my opinion on that is a story for another day , but now we bring you to “Gold Cobra”, just as I expected people hate it and... well you know, they can’t all be like “Diamond Eyes” can they.
Ok, let’s begin with the band by saying first of all, the drumming is nothing really special, but it does serve its purpose, It’s standard but it does its job, it keeps a strong consistent beat throughout the album, it’s not like Otto said he was the best drummer in the world or anything, even the best drummers get told their not or they are just overlooked anyway. The bass is simple at times but it works, on tracks like “Bring It Back” and “Gold Cobra” people said the bass was too simple, It may be simple but the fact is that it’s simplicity doesn’t make it bad by any means, I tend to find really complex songs soulless and boring but then again it’s a matter of opinion, I feel the bass playing is great on this album, my favourite song for bass would “Shotgun” the bass is funky and keeps that hip hop feel to the music, he avoids having the need to show off and does what’s right for the song. Same with “Gold Cobra”, he plays to add to the song and adds in fills when it’s appropriate. With this album also is a lack of contribution by DJ Lethal, not that this is a bad thing entirely because it doesn't seem to be called for, the only contribution he had was on 1 interlude of 3, which is somewhat a shame because I find the Interludes to be pointless and annoying, all except the one before "Autotunage" because it serves as a nice intro to the song.
With the guitars Wes Borland lays down some great riffs that really create the metal atmosphere of the album, simple but very effective, the heavy distortion does overpower the bass at times but it’s nothing too severe, without heavy distortion it wouldn't be metal right? and like I said before Rivers still gets to shine through when it’s appropriate so it's not like he's being over shadowed. A surprise with the album was the addition of guitar solos, I know I sound like a complete ass kiss but the solos were great, take the solo from “Walking Away” it fits the song perfectly, it shows Borlands talent without it sounding awkward, forced or out of place, it certainly doesn’t sound like he’s just showing off for the sake of it. I really enjoy the guitar work on this album because he is still extending his creativity without over doing it, he’s playing for the band not for himself.
Now Fred... where to begin... Fred Durst has never wrote extremely good lyrics as a matter of fact he has even stolen some e.g. “Hotdog”, and on this album lyrically he doesn’t shine through greatly either , but to tell the truth as a singer/rapper/MC/ performer or whatever you want to call him he’s great, I actually really enjoy the role he plays in Limp Bizkit, I believe that he’s voice and style is great because it’s original, do you any one that sounds like Fred Durst? Or anyone that tries to be?? (I expect some smart ass answers for that), nope. He’s vocal style suits the band well and gives them originality, so many bands just scream now it’s hard to tell anyway. What I admire is the fact that Fred puts heart in to the lyrics, you might think that the song “Loser” is mediocre garbage and it's sole purpose is to tend to the radio but I think it shows a good strong vocal performance, even on “Autotunage” I really enjoyed his performance, the auto-tune was absolutely hilarious and in my opinion it was still a strong song, I admit some other songs like “Douchebag” and “Get A Life” maybe not so and it sounds like he’s bragging and Screaming what not but it’s Fred Durst, what did you expect? Without Fred it wouldn’t be Limp Bizkit.
For a Limp Bizkit album, it’s excellent, the music is heavy, creative, funky, fun and at times it’s just completely ridiculous, I hate albums that are a complete utter misery to listen to. The great thing about it is it’s Limp Bizkit being Limp Bizkit they haven’t changed for anyone, they really don’t care what anyone thinks, they have purely created the album to please their fans, bottom line is simple, if you like Limp Bizkit, you will love it, if you’re not a Limp Bizkit fan or a troll, you will hate it and you will continue to hate it, I think the main problem is that too many people over analyze things and don’t just enjoy it for what it is, If you can’t do that you will still hate it, no matter what so don’t waste your time and don’t listen to it.
