Van Halen — 鈥楢 Different Kind of Truth’
The drumming is unmistakable. The guitar riffs are legendary. The bass hammers out a steady and sure pulse-pounding rhythm. The vocals contain a heavy flavoring of charisma and swagger. True Van Halen fans rejoice: After 28 years, David Lee Roth is back where he rightly belongs as Van Halen releases the reunion album for which we’ve patiently waited. The intoxicating chemistry of Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Roth coalesces to form a combustible collection of thundering rock arrangements that harken back to the glory days of the early ’80s when Van Halen ruled the rock arena. This time around, the band is completed with Eddie’s son, Wolfgang, on bass, replacing Michael Anthony who still pledges his allegiance to former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar. While Wolfgang is a more than adequate bassist, I can’t help but yearn for the spirited backing vocals and the party persona Anthony brought to the band.
Roth’s vocals are surprisingly strong and refreshed and Eddie’s signature guitar riffs are as chaotically beautiful as ever. “Tattoo,” the first single, is surprisingly one of the weaker songs on the album, and sounds better suited to Roth’s first solo album “Eat ‘Em and Smile.” However, muscular numbers like “She’s the Woman,” “China Town,” “Bullethead” and “Outta Space” show the band can still deliver the hard rock goods without sounding aged and tired.
A lot of attention has been centered around the fact that many of the songs are reworked versions of older Van Halen arrangements from the late ’70s.
Roth’s response is that it was a great way for the reunited band to reconnect and recapture their mojo.
I can still remember the first time I played the band’s eponymous debut. The explosive, raw sound nearly paralyzed me. With classics like “Eruption,” “I’m the One,” “You Really Got Me,” “Atomic Punk,” “Feel Your Love Tonight” and “On Fire” blaring from my bedroom stereo, my parents feared our second story might come tumbling to the ground from the intensity level of the music. It’s been a long time coming, but Van Halen has successfully recaptured the sound, energy and magnetism that made them one of the most popular rock bands in music. Now that I’m an adult, I can crank up the new Van Halen as often as I want. Although, I still have to worry about broken windows, cracking walls and weakening the foundation. I guess some things never change, and that’s a real good feeling.