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LYNCH/PILSON - Wicked Underground CD Review
I had the pleasure to interview Mr. Jeff Pilson just a few months ago. In that interview, he mentioned that "Ever Higher" is the favorite song he ever performed on. Being a big Dokken fan, that REALLY interested me! So, one half of the original Dokken line-up is together releasing an album some say is "better than Dokken's last 4 releases." I don't agree with that remark. Simply put, "Erase the Slate" was one of the best Dokken albums ever put together. While I was not a fan of "Long Way Home," it grew on me over time. As for "Hell to Pay," it was better than "Long Way Home." So, where does "Wicked Underground" fit in this mix? Well, take a step back to Dokken's "Dysfunctional" and "Shadow Life." Many of these tracks can fit easily on either of those albums. "Shadow Life" is an album Don Dokken is ashamed of. And, he should be. I don't care what anyone says, a boring borderline grunge album is not any good. And, the bad songs on "Wicked Underground" remind me of that album and it is a memory I care not have. But, I really liked "Dysfunctional" so some of these songs really do work for me. Let me rank the songs from 1 to 10. This is a very subjective look at the songs. What speaks to me might not speak to you. So, plesae don't take it as gospel. "Breathe & Scream" has a really strange intro especially being the first thing someone hears when they put it on. The intro sounds too "modern" in a bad way. But, it leads into a great song. George jams well on the guitar and Jeff Pilson, who sings on the album by the way, sounds great. Rating: 8.5/10 "Beast in the Box" is a very cool song. It soudns a bit like classic Dokken with great rhythm and occasional bombastic guitar playing. Jeff sounds really good and the chorus is pretty damn catchy. Rating: 9/10 "When You Bleed" could easily fit on Dokken's "Dysfunctional." Good guitar work, good rifs. But, it has that somewhat monotone singing style found on some more modern Dokken albums. It is catchy and the guitar solo is good. But, it misses the spot somehow. Rating: 7.5/10 "Vaccine" reminds me a lot of "Prozac Nation" off Dokken's "Hell to Pay." The chorus works as does the solo but the verse is a bit lacking. Rating: 7.5/10 "Ever Higher" is a cool track. If you listen to it a few times, it gets stuck in your head. I've read the lyrics quite a few times and am trying to determine what it could've been written for. It's well sung, well performed, and enjoyable. And it has a cool ending. Perhaps the best song on the album. Rating: 9/10 "Zero The End" is another that could've fit on "Dysfunctional." What I like about this track, though, is Jeff ranging from a melodic Don Dokken sounding voice (without the high notes) with an almost angry Mick Brown sounding scream heard on "Crazy Mary Goes Round" off "Erase the Slate." The chorus works, the verse is a little weak. The hooks are good though. Rating: 7.5/10 "The Evil That You Are" sounds like classic Dokken. Some might say that I like this song for that reason. No, I just think that style is good music and boring Staind style music blows ass. This track has a lot of kick ass elements including great verses, great musicianship, and great vocals. I like it. Rating: 8.5/10 "Awaken" sounds like something off of "Shadow Life." In other words, ew! Annoying vocal elements and I'm not crazy about the musicianship. Rating: 5/10 "Cromanic" is an instrumental jam ranging from dance music st the start to modern guitar (half assed in other words) to great jamming and hooks. But, it does not measure up to Mr. Scary. Rating: 7/10 "Goodbye Utopia" is a pretty cool song with some blues elements but a lot of modern elements including "space man vocals" as I call them. Seriously now, who decided while watching someone talking from the moon, "JESUS! I WISH I COULD SING LIKE THAT!" Not to mention the fact that it has been overdone. There's a mic. Do your range with your voice and leave that over the top production crap to rap... You know, the non-musicians. Rating: 7/10 "Inner View." I wonder if Simply Red wrote this mellow track? I know an album that is diverse is okay but too melow for me. Rating: 5.5/10 "Closer to None" is still fairly dull but the chorus and guitar work after the first chorus really take me into the song. Rating: 8/10 All together, that's 90/120 or 7.5. I think the production on the album is sensational. Almost too much at times as some songs sound better without drum effects and some vocals sound better without sounding like Neil Armstrong saying, "This a small step for man.." yada I still want to know who made anyone think that was a good idea. I can't help but feel "something's missing" during a lot of the album. And, I'll tell you flat out what it is. Don Dokken's vocals. Jeff does a great job, don't get me wrong. But, Don is able to hit high notes better and in the high energy rockers, it's required. If you're a Dokken fan and you liked "Dysfunctional," give this album a try. If you hated "Dysfunctional," you'll probably only like a few tracks on the disc.
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