Picked up the latest album by The Offspring titled "Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace." Bottom line, it's my favorite album by them. I have a few thoughts after listening to it. First off, this is the album "Splinter" should have been. Don't get me wrong, I like "Splinter," however, it seems out of place when I look at their album progression.I am surprised to see Bob Rock's name on the album because I don't equate his name to quality music. He made The Cult sound more rock on their "Sonic Temple" album, and don't get me started on my Metallica rant. All I can say is this still sounds like the Offspring I'm familiar with, and I'm happy that Dexter isn't crooning like a pansy, a la Metallica.
There aren't any classic Offspring signature tracks this time around, i.e. extremely long tracks containing bonus songs, a hilarious ska song, or funny fillers. Lyrically it seems to have a serious tone overall, but I did find a chuckle here and there ("I'm telling you shit is fucked up"). Musically it's classic Offspring because it seems to keep that serious vibe from overtaking the entire album, and fuck if I'll take an anti-depressant just to enjoy my entertainment.
Since I'm an Offspring fanboi, I will look over some things. Even though the music, to me, is true to their sound, I do hear what I would call "influences." What I'm trying to say is, this album will be liked by Offspring fans and typical music listeners. If you're the type that thinks regurgitating pentatonic scales are "progressive," and you use that as the foundation of your 1337 musical knowledge, then you shouldn't even be listening to music in the first place.
