STILL SUCKS

Limp Bizkit

There was absolutely zero chance I was going to pass up on a new Limp Bizkit record. It is no secret that the band isn't well liked right now, however, you would be quite disingenuous to claim that elements of the band's sound haven't influenced this current wave of alternative metal. On some of Limp Bizkit's best songs, I hear incredibly creative guitar playing, very rich grooves, and a heaviness that is still unrivaled by many. In my opinion, Limp Bizkit still deserves a modicum of respect and with that in mind, I wanted to give this album a fair shake. With that being said, do I think it's a good album? Not particularly. Do I think it is a complete disaster? I would say it is far from. I would say Limp Bizkit did a really good job of staying true to themselves and their sound. There's a few stand out riffs from the underrated Wes Borland, some great instrumentals assembled by DJ Lethal, and for the most part, I think Fred Durst as a performer is still quite charismatic. The lyrics are still terribly corny as well, no doubt, but the difference here is that Limp Bizkit displays a great sense of self-awareness and seems to be poking fun at themselves. It's not a complete pass, but it does make the songs a little more bearable, sometimes.

The best song on the record is easily Dad Vibes. It has a great, sequenced, hip-hop beat, some tremolo picked guitars that ring like a distant siren, and a signature Borland guitar riff in the chorus. The lyrics are awkward, however, under the guise of this hip dad persona, they come off a little comedic and fun. The best riff on the record definitely goes to the opener, Out of Style, because of its interestingly choppy rhythm, and the use of the whammy bar to create these really wacky bends. I also enjoyed You Bring Out the Worst In Me to a certain extent with its atmospheric guitar harmonics ringing sourly in the back and the melodic bassline. The track turns terrifyingly on a dime into these very aggressive screamo passages that I was not expecting at all. Again, the song kinda suffers from Durst's lyrics but I thought his performances were pretty decent.

Snacky Poo was another track I thought was pretty okay thanks to the decent hip-hop beat and Durst's confident rapping. I also didn't mind the sentiment of the song - the annoyance of those online constantly chasing validation from strangers or feeling the need to always share their opinion - although I wish the lyrics were a little more eloquent. I will also add quickly that the lengthy interview skit that follows this track falls incredibly short of its comedic intentions and serves no purpose other than to just waste time. I also liked the sentiment behind Pill Popper, in which the band attempts - albeit not very successfully once again - to comment on the pharmaceutical industry's neglect for peoples' best interests and creating drug addicted customers. However, this track is ultimately brought down by a dated industrial metal sound, and a vocal performance from Durst I can only describe as constipated.

I could continue on with examples, but I think you're starting to see a 'one step forward, two steps back' pattern. Many songs here have strong instrumental elements, concepts, vocal performances, or even just a good sense of humour, but there is often something in the way that detracts from those good things. There's also three acoustic centred tracks, one of which is an INXS cover, that inject a little variety into the tracklist, although, these songs don't particularly play to the band's strengths. In summary, this new record is not going to cause a surge of people to jump back on to the Limp Bizkit bandwagon, but I can tell you it is not the total embarrassment that I'm sure many people are going to make it out to be.