You can trust Louder
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.
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Stephen joined the Louder team as a co-host of the Metal Hammer Podcast in late 2021, eventually becoming a regular contributor to the magazine. He has since written hundreds of articles for Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Louder, specialising in punk, hardcore and 90s metal. He also presents the Trve. Cvlt. Pop! podcast with Gaz Jones and makes regular appearances on the Bangers And Most podcast.