A Different Kind Of Truth

This is the album Van Halen has wanted to make for over 10 years, even after all the infighting, the firings, the lead singer switches, David Lee Roth "re-joining" the band for a moment in 2000, and then again for a year or two in 2006, bassist Michael Anthony vanishing from view and replaced by Eddie's son Wolfgang, and meanwhile brother Alex Van Halen just keeps beating away on the drums... you know, it's only So Cal rock and roll, but they like it. And it's a formula that worked for all those years, so why not try it one more time? This is the result.

This is a short (and priced to move) album of "new" songs, so in that spirit I'm going to review this quickly, but if you know me, it never works out that way. Enjoy...

13 songs at just over 50 minutes:

1. Tattoo - from right off the jump, the sonic jet crashes into your ears. The Van Halen of old has landed, and David's somewhat older voice still soars over the destruction of guitars, drums and synths. This song reaches into my heart and grabs it, as it's friggin' Van Halen, man! This rocked so hard, and the ending just quietly silenced itself. Great song either way. It was number one the second it was released, and to be sure it's just a prelude of things to come on the rest of this album.

2. She's The Woman - according to an article by Rolling Stone magazine, this song sounds like an old unreleased song of theirs called "Down In Flames" from 1977. Sure it does, but who cares? It sounds fresh and loud and once again, it rocks! It's like 1983 all over again, and I can see 10,000 Camaros blaring this album - and this short song - out all over America this summer. This is a great rocker for sure!

3. You and Your Blues - the guitar riff is familiar, the voice is haunting and young, the drums come up and the vocal harmonies appear, and there it is, andother perfect Van Halen song. Did these guys jump into a time machine and set it for the 80's, because I'm all for it! This is the song of the album so far, it's rich and lush and the solos are perfect, and the rock is finally back!

4. China Town - look out, keep your heads down, and jump right in, this is THE speed rock song of the album - everything is double-time except for David's laid-back vocals, but it's the formula
that made them famous through over a dozen albums and compilations, greatest hits albums and live cuts, too. The guitar solo here is vintage Eddie, and is so freaking dizzying your head will spin, and then it stops for that one second and then the song jumps back in full blast! Look out, you're gonna get blown away by this one.

5. Blood and Fire - are the boys singing the history of their lives or of the band's, or of both? "Told ya I was coming back..." Dave moans over the smashing guitar work of Eddie, brother Alex keeping fantastic time, and young son Wolfgang just banging away on the bass. they've been through punch-ups, break-ups, silent glances and some of the best rock ever put on vinyl. Here they are in their fortieth year (!) of working this craziness out together, and I'll be honest, they've never sounded better, fresher and younger! Bravo!

6. Bullethead - this song is pure nostalgia, and it takes me to a lost track from "Women and Children First." Great stuff, a quick song, and insane lyrics from the boys who invented power-drill rock and roll.

7. As Is - As this song is, the drums tell you a monster track is coming. And it sure is, a behemoth of sound, quickly building up to David Lee roth once again keeping up in his own way against the all-out assault of the Van Halens. Who wins this fight on this song this time. I'll tell you - we do, and what a solo in the middle. Once again, classic Eddie at work and it is only getting better. As David half-whispers, "Never spoiled by progress..." Another winner!

8. Honeybabysweetiedoll - One of the odder tracks on the album, something like finding a foreign broadcast of Martian rock on the radio by way of Southern California, but it goes right into 1984 again, as if the boys had never stopped jamming together for all those years. It's sexy, and fast, and it's like a moonlight ride with your lover with the lights off doing 125 on the highway as you get closer to... oh, you know what! Another growling mastertake. The song ends quickly with a quick feedback right into

9. The Trouble with Never - what happens when your lover suddenly says no after so much yes? This song once again takes me back to the past glories of the band, but it's a great place to be,
and David's voice has never sounded more syrupy and with that sexy quiet growl he is famous for. Another classic.

10. Outta Space - What if Ted Nugent decided to play with Van Halen? This is the closest you'll ever get to hearing that, as the song's subject takes us to the stratosphere. Another screamer from David, and another wonderful solo from the master, and he's getting better with every song, and on this song you can feel every fret and string being tortured under his capable hands!

11. Stay Frosty - a bit of silly old timey blues, which makes me think this is a sequel of sorts to "Ice Cream Man," as the boys have always loved it, but of course jump right into a quick-time version of the song, and they're letting us know that it's good to have fun, but of course keep your karma careful, and who should know about the ultimate ups and downs but these guys? A great bit of solo Eddie work once again in between as well, and of course what Van Halen album would be complete without the big classic song ending?

12. Big River - now it's time for a bit of seriousness - not! They run right into this song as they have throughout, with abandon and the type of rock and roll that needs to be remembered, 100 percent! This is a great song and one of my picks for another hit, if they let it happen! The guitar work is solid and the solo here is unmatched and timeless, and even though you may have heard similar versions of it, this is Eddie Van Halen, one of the inventors of the speed solo, and here he is untouched. Serious masterwork.

13. Beats Workin' - for these guys, the final song on the album is a love letter to everyone who has ever wanted to start a rock band, to everyone who has failed, and to those who succeeded
only to let it slip out of their hands. The power of rock is here in all it's glory, and it's timeless, and it has kept them playing for four decades - young bassist Wolfgang wasn't even born when they started! A great way to close out the album, with a suggestion from the band itself: it beats working, all of it. It's rock and roll.

So, I had apprehensions, maybe it's because I'm almost 50 now and my rock and roll idols are dead or have gone soft and gone on reality shows to keep their names alive, or worse, gone off to cover Broadway show tunes. So here it is, supposedly the end of the world, and these guys have the audacity to put out an album of straight-forward good old fashioned rock and roll? Just a guitar, a bass player, a singer and a drummer? Well... yes!

I listened, I reviewed, and I loved every second of it. You young kids can call it dinosaur rock, but I dare any of you to tell these guys that. They are rocking their butts off, and it works for me!

In the end, I'm giving the album 5 glorious stars - they deserve it, they've restored my faith in true rock and roll, and the fun spirit four guys can have by just sitting down and playing what they've been doing since many of us were young, at least me.

Go now, buy the album, and as us old people say, crank it up to eleven! You'll be glad you did!

(thanks for reading, and please leave some feedback (or a vote) if you liked it or not, and also check out my other reviews here on Amazon!)

Van Halen is my favorite band of all time. I'd say my two favorite albums are VH II and Fair Warning. I have been waiting for this for 16 years since they released those 2 new songs off the Greatest Hits package. I remember that day like it was yesterday.

When I heard Tattoo, I was slightly discouraged initially. It wasn't what I was expecting, however I liked the song. But I kept the faith, and refused to bash the band like many others who heard Tattoo and discounted the rest of the 13 songs on the album without even a listen. Man oh man, and does the rest of the album kill! Each and every song following Tattoo are extraordinary songs. Van Halen have returned to form and given us their most aggressive album ever. And to the nay sayers who are complaining about them re-working old unreleased songs, so what? They are THEIR songs that were UNRELEASED for a reason. They were unfinished in the form they were in. I can't understand why a band isn't allowed to use their OWN material that THEY wrote and never released officially. Would you rather other writers come in or Van Halen to sound more modern like Nickelback or have Eminem come in and rap in the middle of a song? Quit complaining and thinking you can tell one of the greatest bands in history how they should sound or make an album. That's why they are Van Halen and you are you sitting in your mother's basement with a negative attitude. If you actually listen to the album, it is, IMO, their best since Fair Warning.

Stand-out tracks for me are: Chinatown, As-Is, She's the Woman, Trouble with Never, Stay Frosty, Outta Space, and Big River. However, each and every song is stellar. Even Tattoo which, when listened with the rest of the album, grows on you like a nice mustache. At worst I'd say 12 excellent tracks and one not bad track (Tattoo). If you ask me, that's pretty darn good.

A note on production: I was very scared of how this album would sound. I was afraid it would sound too glossy and polished and poppy. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that this album sounds just as good and as raw as any of their early albums. Big Brown Sound from Eddie and Thunderous drum sound from Alex is all there. Very pleased with the production! I feel that background vocals were handled very well also! While Mikey is missed, I didn't think about him once while I listened bc Wolfie nailed it. He is killing it on the bass (almost sounds like Sheehan) and definitely did a tremendous job on the backing vocals. Mikey will always be a part of VH but if that's what it took for these guys to get along again, have fun, and make a great album, then so be it. Wolfie is doing a great job at filling Mike's shoes!

A huge thanks to Van Halen for restoring my faith in modern music!

With everything that has happened within this band since the 1996 soap opera helix of Roth joining, then leaving the band again, fans of the old Van Halen wondered if they would ever again see a new, full studio album. Filling in that time was Gary Cherone for the VHIII album, Hagar leaving and for a time, doing a dual tour with Diamond Dave, and the eventual Exodus of Founding member and bass player Michael Anthony, subsequently replaced by Eddie's son Wolfgang.

It finally happened, and despite the time that has passed, this album does fulfill something for many fans of that Brown sound with Diamond Dave as the frontman again.

Unlike "VHIII", This album is much tighter in musicianship and execution. Sure, you'll hear some familiar licks and riffs of old, but the harmonies, backing vocals and song structure are much, much more polished and flowing. It may be just a small blast from the past, but it also still embodies what made Van Halen great in the first place; great guitars, a variety of themes in the songwriting, and simply FUN rock. I miss Michael Anthony on Bass as much as the next VH fan, but let's give Wolfgang in the new VH lineup, and this album, a chance to shine.