Drowning Pool -- 'Full Circle' [review]

Drowning Pool - Full Circle

Eleven Seven Music (8/7/07)

Hard rock / Metal



Three albums with three front men—it would seem like an uphill battle for any band to gain a foothold and start to grow into a more cohesive unit. That certainly was the problem with Drowning Pool's last effort, Desensitized. Former lead singer Jason Jones had a great stage presence and a nice mixture of original lead singer Dave Williams' tenacity and urgency with a subtle amount of soul, but ultimately, the album seemed rushed and somewhat off-target (especially with the marketing).


On Full Circle, Drowning Pool brought in a seasoned pro in Ryan McCombs, formerly of Soil. McCombs' distinct, captivating voice melds well with the Drowning Pool sound. And for a band with an established fanbase, it didn't hurt to bring in someone with a recognizable commodity.

Constant touring prior to any studio recording seems to have paid off for the band. Full Circle presents a tight, cohesive wall of sound, which is fairly important for a band essentially re-debuting for a third time. The album opens promisingly enough with the hard-hitting title track. Mike Luce has never sounded as ferocious as the final moments of the song, and bassist Stevie Benton seems particularly inspired.

C.J. Pierce's classic Drowning Pool riff rears its head on "Enemy", one of the album's stronger tracks, and the driving guitar continues through songs like "Shame" and "Duet". Lyrically, the band has never come across better than on "Reborn", with great allusion to the band and McCombs' pasts (comments about a halo -- Soil's first break; tear away -- a Drowning Pool song; redefine -- McCombs' last album with Soil), but some great acoustic guitar and drum work, too.

And the band, and particularly McCombs, is practically channeling Alice in Chains on "Upside Down", which almost sounds like it has the late Layne Staley on guest vocals -- and that's a good thing (the Alice in Chains comparisons litter the latter half of the album).

But for all the promise, there are more than a few shallow moments. "Love" seems like a throwaway track with little to make it notable, and covering Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" has BAD IDEA written all over it. The group tries to catch the lightning of "Bodies" with the sing-a-long anthem "Soldiers", but it just seems to miss the mark. The message (supporting the troops) is admirable, but for some reason you want to chant along to "let the bodies hit the floor" as opposed to "(whoop, yeah) this is for the soldiers."

Then there's the Nikki Sixx penned "Reason I'm Alive" which couldn't sound more out of place. The pseudo-ballad seems forced and hollow, which is especially troubling as the band can and does do melancholic tracks extremely well when it wants to—"37 Stitches" and "Paralyzed" channel that great feel of the Drowning Pool classic "Tear Away" (not to mention McCombs once again channeling Staley on the latter).

What Drowning Pool really needs to do is keep a line-up in place for more than one album, and lord knows it wants to. The untimely death of Williams could have been a death knell, but the band soldiered on. Jones and the rest of the group just never meshed. McCombs seems like a perfect fit. The good on Full Circle really is good, and songs like "37 Stitches" and "Reborn" are great. That's what makes the bad stuff stick out all the more. Drowning Pool can write good material, so it's apropos that two of the weaker links are from outside sources. With more touring the band will only get better. Having McCombs stick around will show whether the band can write a follow-up without new blood in the mix. As of now, Full Circle stands as an above-average debut from a band that needs no introduction.

Drowning Pool -- 'Desensitized' [review]

Drowning Pool
"Desensitized"
Wind Up Records


Riding high off the success of its first single, "Bodies," Drowning Pool exploded onto the metal scene in 2001 with the release of its debut album, "Sinner."

Over the next year the band would gain more and more fans and grow in popularity through constant touring. Then, the unthinkable happened as the group's frontman, Dave Williams, was found dead in a tour-bus during the 2002 Ozzfest. The remaining members -- guitarist C.J. Pierce, bassist Stevie Benton and drummer Mike Luce -- eventually decided to soldier on recruiting Jason "Gong" Jones to fill the vacant vocalist slot.

Now, with the release of "Desensitized," the band's second release on Wind Up Records, the band seems primed to recapture its momentum.

From the opening, "Desensitized" has the same feel to it as the group's debut. The disc kicks off with "Think," a thick, metal-tinged anthem akin to the last album's opener, "Sinner," and from there swings full-force into "Step Up," a sing-along anthem similar to the band's biggest hit, "Bodies."

Musically, Drowning Pool feels tighter and heavier in a sense, having polished the sonic assault the group crafted over the past few years. Jones' vocals are, at times, eerily similar to Williams (especially during the break-down screaming on "Killing Me"), yet completely different. Williams had a husky quality to his voice but could easily wail away with the best of the metal community; Jones' vocals seem more anchored and deep. The vocal nuances are subtle at times, and by the time "This Life" (track 4) is over, the listener could very easily forget they're listening to the band with a new singer. It's hard to miss that this disc is still a Drowning Pool album. "This Life" is also an interesting track as it was the first riff Pierce had written following the loss of Williams.

From end-to-end, "Desensitized" is a full-bore metal release. Even when the band tries to "slow it down" on a track like "Love and War," the bridges and choruses are still hard-hitting. Pierce really shines on all the tracks with his interesting riffing. Benton's bass work feels real thick, and plays nicely off Luce's drumming. Actually, Luce's drumming sounds a lot fuller on this album thanks to Randy Staub's mix.

Overall, Drowning Pool really pulled off an accomplishment. After the death of the band's frontman, the band's future was most definitely in doubt. At the band's Web site, Pierce points out, "This new Drowning Pool record is the most amazing work we have ever done as a rock band. Not only is this about a band continuing on and overcoming a most unfortunate situation, but it is also about personal triumph. I know our family, fans, and friends will be pleasantly surprised, amazed, stunned, and struck by the fact that this recording is heavier and deeper than our previous effort." With the addition of Jones, the band took what it started, built upon said foundation, and really crafted a solid follow-up given the circumstances.

Various Artists -- 'Punisher' soundtrack [review]

Various Artists
"The Punisher"
Wind-Up records


Soundtracks are usually a hit-or-miss proposition. Usually the collection is too diverse and thus listeners buy them for one or two tracks and end up skipping the rest. A strong collection can do a good job of using established bands to lure in people and get them to check out the lesser-known bands. There's also the lure of obscure tracks or collaborations (for example, last year's "Freddy Vs. Jason" featuring a previously unavailable song from Slipknot along with an anticipated new track from Killswitch Engage featuring a new lead singer). When the collection falls flat, the few high points are overcome by tracks that feel too out-of-place (for example, last year's "Underworld" with anticipated Page Hamilton and Wes Borland tracks, but little else to offer).

Featuring a whopping 19 tracks, "The Punisher" soundtrack features five standouts and a slew of supporting players.

Leading off the collection is the first taste of the new Drowning Pool lineup featuring ex-Built-XL frontman Jason "Gong" Jones on vocals. While the band's previous efforts sounded angry, "Step Up" is a straight-up rock/metal track. And it sounds mean. Not angry, mean. The band feels retrofitted, like a throw back to early 90s metal (early Pantera or Skid Row), complete with guitar solos. Jones' vocals at times have a hint of Drowning Pool\'s prior lead singer to them, but also sound like a mix of John Bush (from Anthrax) and Max Cavelera (ex-Sepultura, Soulfly).

One of the more interesting tracks off the soundtrack is the anticipated collaboration of Damageplan and Jerry Cantrell. The song, "Ashes to Ashes," was recorded last Thanksgiving while Damageplan were still finishing off its debut album. The song has a old school Alice in Chains (Cantrell's former band) feel to it, and features Cantrell and Damageplan vocalist Patrick Lachman trading off singing duties between verses and choruses. This song is definitely one of the album's high-points.

Edgewater's debut single, "Eyes Wired Shut," is another standout track. The band's melodic rock is reminiscent of mellow Staind mixed with a more pop-centric rock sensibility (think Three Doors Down or The Calling). The guitars are driving during the verses and catchy during the chorus and the band seems destined for heavy rotation on commercial rock radio.

The soundtrack also features an almost-reunion of Evanescence bandmates Amy Lee and Ben Moody, albeit on different tracks.

Moody teams up with Jason Miller and Drowning Pool frontman Jones for "The End Has Come," a slow-burning rock track that has a definite Evanescence feel to it (especially the band's earlier work), complete with ethereal guitar during the opening and verses, and driving riffs during the chorus.

Lee teams up with Seether on the re-recorded "Broken" (off Seether's 2002 release "Disclaimer"). While the song kicks off like the original, Lee joins in on the chorus and takes over the second verse alone. Lee adds a pleasant dimension to Seether\'s sound without taking the track over and making it sound like an Evanescence tune.

Rounding out the rest of the soundtrack is an astounding collection of tracks from well-known -- Nickelback, Hatebreed, Puddle of Mud, Queens of the Stone Age, Trapt -- and more obscure -- Strata, Submersed, Seven Wiser, Atomship -- bands. And the collection runs the gamut from heavier tracks (Drowning Pool, Hatebreed, Chevelle) to more mellow rock offerings (Seether w/ Lee, Smile Empty Soul, Mark Collie's acoustic closing track). In all, it seems there's something for all your rock needs.