The first album in 28 years from Van Halen’s classic line-up presented me with a serious conflict of interests; the spokespeople for every scrawny hormonal teenager, it was Eddie Van Halen’s schizophrenic, mind-melting playing that shook me into life as a wannabe guitar god. This was what I had been waiting for since I hi-jacked the P.A. system at a school disco and treated my peers to a rafter-shaking Hot for Teacher. So as the record sat on my desk in its glossy cellophane wrapping, the fact that it could be a disappointment really got me.
'A Different Kind of Truth' is the first full-length collection since the dregs of 1998’s 'Van Halen III' – a bland, wholly-average AOR package fronted by Extreme’s Gary Cherone. As David Lee Roth put it, the band’s “heard you missed us, we’re back!” album is not only the one of the most long-awaited rock reunions since Led Zep’s triumphant return at the O2 in 2007, it is – for all intents and purposes – a proper Van Halen record. Essentially based on demos made in the 70s, we’re thrown back to the walls of fuzzy, goofball guitars and shameless innuendos that so influenced gawky mop-tops like me to strap on their axes in the first place. Having unplugged the synthesizers that plagued their 80s releases, what we have here is a strong and cohesive collection of rockers; fully unhinged, Eddie and drumming brother Alex positively leap from the speakers. Sonically, we are closer to '1984' and 'Van Halen II' than Sammy Hagar era works such as '5150' – that said, this is no 'Diver Down' of course, but then we don’t need it to be.
If Eddie Van Halen first described his band as ‘the sound of Godzilla waking up’, then the monster is very much alive, chomping merrily on the power lines. 'Big River' and 'Blood and Fire' are as strong as anything they put out in the 70s – the production, while beefed up thanks to modern recording techniques, is significantly raw to appease the balding members of their fan base. Lead single 'Tattoo' has been in circulation for a month now but still hits the spot. However, it is 'Stay Frosty' – hidden towards the tail-end – that is the true showstopper. A typically humorous country pastiche soon descends into some searing metal riffs, all the while Eddie’s licks do battle with Roth’s vocal chords; it’s a real masterclass in tune-craft, technical ability and the fine art of the Van Halen song. Tied up with Chickenfoot – a supergroup also featuring Hagar – bassist Michael Anthony’s shoes are filled creditably by Eddie’s son Wolfgang; though the missing the former’s grungy touch, his precision nonetheless provides a spunky rhythmic pulse. Meanwhile, the return of Diamond Dave is a welcome one, for while Sammy Hagar – Roth’s long-term replacement – easily possessed a wider vocal range, he lacked the hammy charisma and tongue-in-cheek humour that Roth still has in spades. No other self-respecting human could pull off such cornball one-liners as “looking like the city towed my other apartment”, and while he may have lost one or two high notes, the “stone-cold sister soccer moms” he chases in ‘Honeybabysweetiedoll’ probably prefer him this way.
Yes, this is very much a trip down memory lane. It was very much intended that way; a lesson that Axl Rose could do with making notes on. I ask you this – would you rather have the comeback album that should have been, revelling in what they do best, or the ramblings of veteran rockstars in dealing with the modern world?
'A Different Kind of Truth' is the first full-length collection since the dregs of 1998’s 'Van Halen III' – a bland, wholly-average AOR package fronted by Extreme’s Gary Cherone. As David Lee Roth put it, the band’s “heard you missed us, we’re back!” album is not only the one of the most long-awaited rock reunions since Led Zep’s triumphant return at the O2 in 2007, it is – for all intents and purposes – a proper Van Halen record. Essentially based on demos made in the 70s, we’re thrown back to the walls of fuzzy, goofball guitars and shameless innuendos that so influenced gawky mop-tops like me to strap on their axes in the first place. Having unplugged the synthesizers that plagued their 80s releases, what we have here is a strong and cohesive collection of rockers; fully unhinged, Eddie and drumming brother Alex positively leap from the speakers. Sonically, we are closer to '1984' and 'Van Halen II' than Sammy Hagar era works such as '5150' – that said, this is no 'Diver Down' of course, but then we don’t need it to be.
Van Halen on their last tour ©Wikicommons
Yes, this is very much a trip down memory lane. It was very much intended that way; a lesson that Axl Rose could do with making notes on. I ask you this – would you rather have the comeback album that should have been, revelling in what they do best, or the ramblings of veteran rockstars in dealing with the modern world?
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