The Offspring-Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace Review

Now, unlike most Offspring fans, I genuinely enjoyed Splinter. Sure, it was...different, but I found "The Worst Hangover Ever" to be a clever little diddy, and "Spare Me The Details" remains one of my favorite songs on any album. So, after downloading (legally, mind you) Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, I was expecting the same, almost grown-up punk rock that dominated Splinter. But, I didn't find that sound on this album...mostly.

Frankly, this CD reminded me of Pennywise's new CD (review soon to come), and not only because they use the same color scheme for their album art. Just like Pennywise, many of The Offspring's new songs hearken back to their old, faster punk days. But, there's still some of that newer modern-rockish sound too. So, to do justice to this eclectic CD, I've decided to do a track by track overview.

Half-Truism (3:28): This song has a very deceptive first verse. After a very quick piano introduction, the guitarists begin slamming on their guitars in classic punk fashion. Very quick, repeated chords, all overlaid by the drummer slamming on his set, setting a fast and consistent beat. Just when you think you have this song figured out, he breaks into what I can only describe as a faux-anthemic chorus. This time, sustained chords and a broken up drum piece slow down the song for the chorus. Quickly switching back to speed, the drummer goes back to his quick rhythm and the guitarists follow suit. Overall, a very Splinter-esque song. I can't help but love this song for all its catchyness. "It's a hell of a good day to die" is a hell of a way to launch into a chorus. The vocalist, one of the most recognizable voices in music, shows off his varied talents on this track. By far one of my favorite tracks on the album

Trust In You (3:09): The vocals on this song really remind me of "Lightning Rod," for better or worse. Maybe it's the line "Pull me up, cause I am ready," but this song has a submissive tone similar to "Lightning Rod." Less driven by guitars than "Half-Truism," the singer again really shows his talents. Sustained notes, quick singing for the verses. It seems The Offspring have perfected their formula of punk verse-anthemic chorus-quick solo-repeat. Solid track, but not their best.

You're Gonna Go Far, Kid (2:58): Now for the first new song the Offspring unleashed on unsuspecting audiences during their tour. Best song on the CD. Hands down. They reverse their formula on this song. Beginning each verse slowly, they then speed up a bit with the beginning of their chorus after the singer sings "dance, fucker, dance," slow down again, then launch into a very quick and powerful chorus after exclaiming "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid!" You can almost feel future concert-goers going nuts, jumping and pumping their fists in the air to this chorus. The guitars set a great rhythm, and are perfectly supported by the drummer. With the best rhythm, melody, and set of chorus lyrics (dance, fucker, dance never gets old) in any Offspring song I've heard, this is the Offspring's greatest song in a long time. It showcases their new style while still retaining their old feel. Download this if you want new "old" Offspring. Now.

Hammerhead (4:38): Ah, the radio single. Every major release has one. Luckily the Offspring tend to have better than average radio singles. Again, the drummer plows ahead with a consistent and powerful rhythm. Another song where the guitars focus on rhythm rather than technicality. Classic Offspring, even in the chorus. The backup singers do the traditional Offspring "oooo" sound while the lead vocalist drives ahead with their lyrics. A very quick and catchy song.

A Lot Like Me (4:28): I read one review of this CD where the author stated this is a very Linkin Park-esque song. And...it is. Of course it has an Offspring feel, but only because the singer's voice is so damn unique. This song is slow, with a piano controlling the melody for every verse. The drummer gets a break from the intense rhythms of past tracks and instead sets a weird broken up rhythm. Not one of The Offspring's best. It's every bad aspect of their modern hard rock style rolled into one song. Sigh. Well, one bad song out of the first four isn't THAT bad.

Takes Me Nowhere (2:59): Basically Trust In You, with a more playful verse. Less intense, but sounds more like Conspiracy Of One era Offspring in the instrumentals. The vocalist still has the softened, mellow tone he's taken on recently. Not a bad song.

Kristy, Are You Doing Okay? (3:42): Acoustic guitar. The Offspring are showing the Plain White T's of the world how to write an acoustic single. Another sad song, but it's catchy. I see this song becoming a fan favorite reallllly fast. You can't help but sing along to "Can you stay strong?/Can you go on?/Kristy are you doing okay?"

Nothingtown (3:30): Finally! Some of the best Offspring songs are the songs that show off their bass player. Verses are very bass-driven in this song. The bassist creates the melody while the drummer plays a pretty standard rhythm. The guitars a minimal until the chorus. The chorus is very...pop-punk, but in a good way. This song even has a bass solo at the end of the second repeat of the chorus, quickly followed by a guitar solo. Clearly the bassist's favorite song. Great track.

Stuff Is Messed Up (3:31): Oh, major labels. Why must you censor song titles? The soon to be fan favorite concert chant of a chorus sounds much better than the actual title..."I don't know much, I don't know much, but I know this...SHIT IS FUCKED UP!" This is a very fun song. The Offspring are reverting to their snide punk side again, and I love it. The vocalist's trademark "La las" (Offspring fans know what I mean) are abundant here. He also throws in a quick-talking verse for good measure. Rude, crude lyrics. Classic. I love it.

Fix You (4:20): Seeming unable to remain their old selves for long, they again shift to a soft radio-style song. This is not a bad song by any stretch. It blows "A Lot Like Me" right out of the water. But after "Stuff Is Messed Up," I was ready for another fun, fast punk song. Oh well.

Let's Hear It For Rock Bottom (4:05): This song is an anomaly. It opens like every other "hard" song on this CD. Rhythmic guitars, short lines of lyrics, and then it unleashes into a loud, 90s pop-punk style chorus. Quick, upbeat, and over way too quickly. The Offspring are experimenting on this song, and I like it. Good track, but in no way reflects old Offspring

Rise and Fall (4:05): I'm going to say what every other reviewer has said about this song: This is a Green Day song. Repetitive power chords, anthemic chorus, reptitive drums. This is "American Idiot," with the Offspring's vocalist. Funnily enough, they actually improve on the Green Day sound. Heh. Show 'em how it's done, I guess.

For a CD with songs that sound very similar to each other this album is...inconsistent. Not in quality, in fact, it's a very good CD, but The Offspring seem to be unable to decide whether to stick to their hard rock style (which appeals to fans like Disturbed and Rev Theory, according to iTunes...psssh...) or to return to their snobby, bratty, ratty punk side. I vote for the latter, but then, what I say isn't important.

As long as what they do sounds as good as this album, I don't care if they're schizophrenic.

8/10