Review Summary: An album that's not for everyone, but has a solid style and theme, as well as enough solid hits to keep everyone entertained.
"We Don't Need To Whisper" is the debut album from Angels and Airwaves. The main singer, Tom DeLonge had been boasting about this album, saying that God himself wrote some of the songs... but was he right; or was it the painkillers talking?
This album opens with "Valkyrie Missile," and I still confess that this is one of the greatest AVA songs I have heard. An ominous intro, and a truly chilling outro. It's a shame everything in between is only decent. Awesome bass solo though. Next up is "Distraction," a five minute song that was overly whiny and bland at first, but it's grown on me since ~ still isn't amazing, but it has it's moments - like the snare roll on the intro. Atom really brought something to this track that it didn't have before. Still, dry, bland lyrics and bad vocals. Speaking of bad vocals - "Do It For Me Now" destroys me from the inside. I despise this son ~ I don't hate this one or anything, I'm just disappointing that this was a single over Valkyrie Missile or, practically any other song. The synth in the intro rings in your ears, but not in a good way. Same as the last song, whiny vocals, but better-ish lyrics. Some cool guitar stuff though. Remember how Tom said these song were written by God, well here it comes. "The Adventure" has always been the greatest AVA song and one of my favorite of all time. This song is chilling on all fronts. Amazing guitars and leads, Atom putting his heart and soul into every hit of the snare, just all around perfection, leading to the last chorus that will give you goosebumps. Probably the only song on this album truly written by God himself (minus the last minute of Valkyrie Missile. Nothing really can follow this up, but they do try with "A Little's Enough," which has some very good lyrics and messages that make you really think, with lots of religious metaphors even atheists will find interesting. this album gets it's first speed-up with "The War," and, despite the repetition, this is a loud song, led once again by Atom's drums. And, do me a favor. Look up the lyrics for this song. They are insultingly basic and repetitive. It's not as bad as one would expect - it has energy and that's what matters. Going to more love song lyrics but not nearly as poorly written with "The Gift." Nice and slow, but sadly it doesn't stand out since most of this album is slow also. Next up, another song that pains me to listen to. "It Hurts" is like a roller coaster, but in all the wrong ways. It starts off with annoying "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts" like, 20 times. The vocals are whiny and meaningless, but in a strange way, moving. I guess it's the tone this song is sung in. Enough to save this song? Nope. Last two, let's make them count. "Good Day" is odd. The synth sound alright here, along with the guitar solo and bass solo in one. The lyrics are also good (except for a few parts, but those parts are played off quickly). This should've been a single instead of "It Hurts." Last, but not least, are the twins: "Start the Machine" and "The Machine." The first of these two is underwhelming, that's all I can say. Love the title, thought! I wish "The Machine" was even more powerful. They kinda start that way, but it doesn't last all the way.
In the end, this album has a central theme and style, and if your into that, this album will carry you away. It has a few tracks that stand out from the rest, giving you chills that should appeal to everyone. A few parts get repetitious, but overall, "We Don't Need To Whisper" provides new thoughts, a few solid hits, and an overall enjoyable journey that not everyone will be keen to go on.
3/5 Due to a few amazing tracks and an overall style that will leave some speechless in awe: keyword "some".