Review Summary: Originally unoriginal. Bearably unbearable.
Back for its sophomore effort, Falling in Reverse brings us the record that was described by vocalist Ronnie Radke as being "light years away" from the last one. His promise delivers, but with a thick side effect.
The use of keyboards and electronic effects have been increased, and they run rampant on nearly every track. Obviously, "Alone" is a prime example of how these effects can help to ruin a song, which brings us to another large part of the record: the rapping.
Radke isn't necessarily bad at rapping, but the addition of hip-hop into his band's music is still less than welcome. Tracks like "Rolling Stone" would be great if not for the unneeded rap verses and techno-breakdowns. The typical rap attitude is also very evident on "F*ck the Rest" and similar items, with no specific direction of the lyrics this time, unlike "The Drug In Me Is You."
The poppier side of Falling in Reverse manages to show in different degrees. While the title track is a do-no-evil pop punk jam, the electropop fiasco of "Game Over" matches that of "Alone"; the pop extremes are hard to warm up to, granted the band's previous sound.
The guitar work on the record is nothing to scoff at; Vincent's sweeping solos are at their best, and Derek Jones plays everything from power pop to metalcore. The bass and drums are nothing special, sounding very much like the band's debut. As previously mentioned, the electronics definitely overstay their welcome, and the lyrics seem like something that The Lonely Island would write, even if Radke wanted to channel Tupac.
Not much can be said about Radke's clean vocals. They've improved a bit from album 1, but they're squandered so often that it's hard to remember that Radke has some form of talent. The unclean vocals, however, have plummeted in quality, the growls becoming more of noises than anything, and the screams barely present.
"Fashionably Late" is a departure from "The Drug In Me Is You," to say the least. Radke and co. all have some form of talent, but it just seems hard for them to use their skills together without being either a joke or just another post-hardcore band. If considered a Blood on the Dance Floor album, it might have been welcome to more people.
**I'm trying to make my reviews better. I know they're not very good, but I've just started. Constructive criticism would be great, besides "stop making them." Thanks.**
