Drowning Pool: Resilience

Nu-school veterans prove their mettle – but very little else

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Drowning Pool never really recovered from the death of original lead singer Dave Williams, a revolving door of frontmen now being their Achilles’ heel. They are back with another newbie at the mic, fellow Texan native Jasen Moreno, not that it’s signalled any kind of change in direction as the band continue the well-trodden path of chest- swelling bravado and meaty riffs.

For a while it’s actually a surprising treat, opener Anytime Anyplace is a real head-bobber, One Finger And A Fist a guaranteed pit-starter and Saturday Night sounds like a Gym Bunny version of Steel Panther.

Unfortunately, the band never make any attempt to diversify their sound. By the end you’d be forgiven for feeling like it’s a party that’s gone on too long. Let’s face it, you might down a beer and smash the can against your forehead once, maybe even twice, but 14 times? You’ll just feel confused and have a headache.

Stephen Hill

Since blagging his way onto the Hammer team a decade ago, Stephen has written countless features and reviews for the magazine, usually specialising in punk, hardcore and 90s metal, and still holds out the faint hope of one day getting his beloved U2 into the pages of the mag. He also regularly spouts his opinions on the Metal Hammer Podcast.