A little over a decade into the 21st century, hard rock and heavy metal fans live in a world where comebacks are ubiquitous. A younger generation of bands giving nods to the old school has sparked a resurgence of rock nostalgia, as rockers in their 40’s, 50’s and beyond are strapping on guitars again and embarking on reunion tours. The more ambitious bands have put out new material, attempting to recapture the energy of their heyday; some to resounding success, while others have fallen flat and tainted their legacies. Recent albums like Whitesnake’s Forevermore and Accept’s Blood of the Nations, for example, are among the best in both band’s catalogues, but in some cases, like Guns ‘N Roses’ Chinese Democracy, fans try to forget that the album ever came out.
In 2007, one of the biggest reunions of the last ten years took place when Van Halen hit the road with original frontman David Lee Roth, generating a frenzied excitement among the fans, who had not heard Roth’s voice on a Van Halen album since 1984. The end of the tour was followed by four years of confusion and speculation – will these reunited rock legends record an album together? Do they even have it in them? The Van Halen camp remained extremely quiet through all of this, only adding to the anticipation.
Jump to January 10th, 2012 (pun intended) and Van Halen finally released the first single, “Tattoo” from their upcoming album A Different Kind of Truth. The track was met with a largely negative response, as fans felt it failed to live up to the standard set by old school Van Halen; a pretty high bar, might I add. Personally, I liked the song, but was hoping along with everyone else that the full album would be stronger.
Well, after spending a good chunk of time with A Different Kind of Truth playing in my car, I certainly am not concerned. The album reeks of vintage Van Halen, top to bottom. Imagine if Van Halen had recorded a follow-up to 1984, and just waited 25 years to release it. The band sounds completely reinvigorated, as if no time has passed at all. Professor Eddie Van Halen sends this younger generation of wannabes back to guitar school with a flashy array of licks that could only come from him, while David Lee Roth sounds almost identical to how he sounded on the six albums he recorded with the band from 1978-1984. They are both backed by a powerful rhythm section, with Alex Van Halen’s intricate drumming and Wolfgang Van Halen’s solid bass playing.
Infectious choruses in songs like “Blood and Fire” and “The Trouble with Never” recall melodic, harmony-driven classics like “Dance the Night Away”, while “As Is” and “China Town” find a full-fledged speed metal band off to the races, with especially impressive drumming from Alex Van Halen (think “Hot for Teacher”). “Stay Frosty” is another highlight, functioning as a modern day “Ice Cream Man”.
Now, this album can’t be reviewed without addressing the absence of original bassist Michael Anthony, who provided key backing vocals throughout the band’s career. Credit has to be given to David Lee Roth here; while it would be great to hear Michael Anthony’s soprano in the background giving these songs a kick in the ass, Roth does a fantastic job with layering his vocals, so much so that as the album progresses, the listener hardly notices Michael’s absence anymore.
I can’t recall an instance when a comeback album this highly anticipated delivered as well as A Different Kind of Truth did for me. I mean, a band in their 50’s trying to essentially recreate what they succeeded at 30 years ago? Van Halen somehow pulled it off, and this album has earned a well-deserved spot in the band’s impressive catalogue. If you are a fan of classic David Lee Roth-era Van Halen, you’d be seriously cheating yourself if you didn’t check this album out. It’s about time we got some real music back on top of the charts.
