My very first published review was a VH album.
Way back before you could go online to find out what their latest meltdown was, we were getting pummeled by impeccable guitar tone and instantly memorable vocal harmonies.
For those still on dial-up, Diamond David Lee Roth is back at the mic, possibly sounding better than he ever has, and Eddie Van Halen is clean & sober and shredding.
Now that's not to say 'A Different Kind of Truth' is a flawless album...
but no one really wants a 'flawless' Van Halen album anyway (Ed even freely admits that his mind-boggling `78 classic, 'Eruption', has a mistake or two in it).
While most of us were somewhere between wondering whether Dave and Eddie could be in the same county without killing each other or whether Eddie was on his way to killing himself via alcohol and drugs, the three original members (and Eddie's son, Wolfgang), were mining old cassette tapes to find past VH gems that would hold up for a brand new studio recording.
If that sounds incredibly lame, then the single: 'Tattoo', didn't do much to boost confidence in a reunited VH recording.
But once you get past the single, the monsterous groove of the re-recorded 'She's the Woman' (originally found on a 1976 demo produced by KISS' Gene Simmons) and the drum-rumbling terror of 'China Town' pretty much underline Van Halen's 'truth': quite simply, Van Halen at 75% is still better than most bands at 200%.
I actually feel sorry for people who didn't grow up with Van Halen, Rush, Def Leppard or U2 as a benchmark for truly great rock.
Sure, there have been bands who tried to jump into the Van Halen void during their mostly 20 year absence, fusing hard rock and catchy melodies.
The results were mostly third-rate guitar anthems (Nickleback), faster and heavier epic fails (Korn) and mostly uninteresting attempts to break new ground (Foo Fighters).
The fact is, America has never produced a better guitarist than Eddie Van Halen or a better rock drummer than Alex Van Halen.
This alone is worth the price of admission.
David Lee Roth is the best version of himself on this disc, and his lyrics have actually--ulp--evolved into something more clever than we could have predicted.
People who grew up with Pearl Jam, Creed, Foo Fighters or Nickleback in Van Halen's absence, simply don't have a palette for what truly untouchable rock really is.
It's not their fault.
It's a kind of audio abuse, actually.
Edward Van Halen is nothing short of a modern Hendrix, and his brother and son help create one of the most colon-evacuating rhythm sections to ever blast out of your stereo speakers.
For those who didn't grow up in the finest era of glitzy power-rock...
it's not too late.
Get this album right away...
and go see this show live.
You have a right to know what real rock sounds like.
Way back before you could go online to find out what their latest meltdown was, we were getting pummeled by impeccable guitar tone and instantly memorable vocal harmonies.
For those still on dial-up, Diamond David Lee Roth is back at the mic, possibly sounding better than he ever has, and Eddie Van Halen is clean & sober and shredding.
Now that's not to say 'A Different Kind of Truth' is a flawless album...
but no one really wants a 'flawless' Van Halen album anyway (Ed even freely admits that his mind-boggling `78 classic, 'Eruption', has a mistake or two in it).
While most of us were somewhere between wondering whether Dave and Eddie could be in the same county without killing each other or whether Eddie was on his way to killing himself via alcohol and drugs, the three original members (and Eddie's son, Wolfgang), were mining old cassette tapes to find past VH gems that would hold up for a brand new studio recording.
If that sounds incredibly lame, then the single: 'Tattoo', didn't do much to boost confidence in a reunited VH recording.
But once you get past the single, the monsterous groove of the re-recorded 'She's the Woman' (originally found on a 1976 demo produced by KISS' Gene Simmons) and the drum-rumbling terror of 'China Town' pretty much underline Van Halen's 'truth': quite simply, Van Halen at 75% is still better than most bands at 200%.
I actually feel sorry for people who didn't grow up with Van Halen, Rush, Def Leppard or U2 as a benchmark for truly great rock.
Sure, there have been bands who tried to jump into the Van Halen void during their mostly 20 year absence, fusing hard rock and catchy melodies.
The results were mostly third-rate guitar anthems (Nickleback), faster and heavier epic fails (Korn) and mostly uninteresting attempts to break new ground (Foo Fighters).
The fact is, America has never produced a better guitarist than Eddie Van Halen or a better rock drummer than Alex Van Halen.
This alone is worth the price of admission.
David Lee Roth is the best version of himself on this disc, and his lyrics have actually--ulp--evolved into something more clever than we could have predicted.
People who grew up with Pearl Jam, Creed, Foo Fighters or Nickleback in Van Halen's absence, simply don't have a palette for what truly untouchable rock really is.
It's not their fault.
It's a kind of audio abuse, actually.
Edward Van Halen is nothing short of a modern Hendrix, and his brother and son help create one of the most colon-evacuating rhythm sections to ever blast out of your stereo speakers.
For those who didn't grow up in the finest era of glitzy power-rock...
it's not too late.
Get this album right away...
and go see this show live.
You have a right to know what real rock sounds like.
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