Reviews

Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

"Seems just like yesterday we heard the fast paced, rip roaring “Monkey Wrench”, which would be an introduction to a wonderful journey that the Foo’s took us on “The Colour and The Shape”. So when I heard that the producer behind that album, Gil Norton, had come back for “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace”, I was immediately pleased.

Upon first listen, I came to the conclusion that it is the same producer, but this isn’t 1997. Gone is the freshness, free flowing straight out Rock that we once knew. In it’s place is a disjointed, typically flawed out LP that has mainstream written all over it. “The Pretender” is a good way to start off things with a calm build up that leads into a monster of a chorus, but towards the end we hear a bridge that awfully sounds a lot like one of their previous hits. That being said it’s still a good choice of a first single to let your fans know that you’re back. However hearing the opening guitar of the noise angst “Let It Die”, it sounds like we’re back on the 2nd disc of “In Your Honour”.

Things pick up again during the chorus, but it seems the former Nirvana skins man has decided to put that “Build it up then Scream!” formula into overtime, making it a little stale. “Erase/Replace” brings back a little essence of the older days, with Grohl telling us to “Pay Attention!” during the crunching riffs and strong thumping beats that have became a Foo’s trademark. Alas tracks such as “Statues”, “Long Road To Ruin” and the rodeo sounding “Summer’s End” cater to the new fans who would’ve gotten into the boys from the played to death “Best Of You”. The one song that does cry poise is the foot tapping “Stranger Things Have Happened” which asserts that the acoustic guitar can still produce a hard edged guitar solo when done right.

Overall it’s an album that has been watered down to please the new recruits that will call themselves Fighters of the Foo, but will still have the long time fan wanting to hear those brief moments of greatness that we know Mr Grohl can produce. "


6/10

Mark L