Limp Bizkit "Still Sucks" (2021)

 

 

Its finally here! The album I thought might never see the light of day. Ten years ago with Gold Cobra, it seemed the Nu Metal kings were about to hit a groove with new singles being released in the following years. Interestingly, none of those them made the cut. The story goes that front man Fred Durst has been continually dissatisfied with his contributions, going back and forth to the studio, unable to finish the project. Its possible that much of the instrumental material here was ready eight years ago!

Its that creative divide the records struggles with, as much of what works hinges on Fred's lyrics which are mostly corny. The opening track Out Of Style has Wes Borland delivering his unique style with groovy chunks of guitar noise landing like punches as Otto brings the tight bouncy drumming and DJ Lethal fleshes out the texture with turntable scratches. Sadly its a fluffed opener as the doubt that delayed this record seems all too obvious. The verse rhymes are aimless and cheesy, finding no gratification with a hook or chorus either. Despite being corny, Fred nailed this twenty years ago with attitude and obnoxiousness. It seems that spark is long gone.

Fortunately the following Dirty Rotten Bizkit steers the overall theme to this "we suck", self deprecating notion that suits Limp Bizkit so well at this point in time. Still hated by many but adored by fans it works like a shield to deter a serious focus on what Fred is up to as you could write a book on the amount of silly rhymes he drops. Its all about having fun and Dad Vibes really leans into that. Its followed up by Turn It Up, Bitch which sounds like a classic 90s House Of Pain instrumental, of course the link here is self evident! They run the Hip Hop routine again with more beats and rhymes at the end with Snacky Poo, which might have the best rhymes of the record.

This side of the band and the overall theme converges wonderfully on Love The Hate as an oddball warbling bass noise rumbles under Otto's tight grooves. Fred and a guest play out a typical hater conversation about his band, steering it wonderfully to that "I listened to them when I was a kid" line. As it goes most the hate they get came from MTV generation kids that once loved them. Personally I never let go of that juvenile enthusiasm, there is just too much fun to be had with the classic LB!

Elsewhere on the record variety is found in droves. Barnacle rocks and roars like a Nirvana 90s grunge classic, deploying all the tropes of that style. You Bring Out The Worst In Me hails back to some of the bands lighter and melodic tracks while simultaneously deploying one of its grittiest grooves as Fred screams and Wes bludgeons his guitar. Pill Popper sounds somewhat like a Ministry track with its driving industrial snare drum. The variety here is fun and definitely on the nostalgic side.

Overall Still Sucks is fun because it has variety and the band don't take themselves to seriously. The lead single Don't Change stands out like a sore thumb tho. It seems it wasn't written by the band and that shows. The emotional angle and serious moody temperament just doesn't suit Fred at all. Other than a few blemishes, LB mostly walk the line well just having some good old goofy fun and banging out the jams!

Rating: 6/10

Limp Bizkit "Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water" (2000)

Striking while the iron is hot, the Jacksonville Nu Metal band Limp Bizkit did not mess around getting another record out of the back of their massive success "Significant Other". Fifteen months later the group essentially release another album from the same blueprint, selling over one million records in the first week making it the fastest selling rock record of all time. Working with Terry Date again they make another chart topping collection of catchy, crowd bouncing, party moshing songs, tightening up the previous sound and recreating their formula for easier consumption. This was probably my favorite record as a teen. I still remember buying my copy at my local record store, the album cover was plastered all over the walls and shelves.

Every now and then I just have to give the Limp a listen. With this blog at the back of my mind I always have a more inquisitive experience with the music. This time around the exploits of this record seemed more obvious than ever. Limp master their formula for energetic, bouncy riffs, Fred's catchy hooks and rocking drum grooves, arranging them with a back and forth between the verse and chorus that slowly raises the mood for the "money riff" to kick in with a mammoth weight. They then wind it down, bring it back up and kick in with the knockout riff again before lumping in an alternate section at the end. The majority of songs follow this arrangement and those that don't come rather close, it must be said "Take A Look Around" is an absolutely brilliant perfection of this approach. The big riff is just slamming and the build ups get me fired up every time, even when you know exactly whats coming.

To my ears, Limp's guitar sound may just explain how such an angry, aggressive, urban and metallic band took their sound to the masses. The guitars are mostly contained within a space, when the distortion kicks in its got that ripe, vibrant texture and the groove is bold, loud and obvious, however unlike more traditional Metal guitar tones, its rather contained, within its own part of the mix and not bleeding out or smothering any other sounds, its not as dense or thick but tonal. Most of the songs have a lot of effects soaked acoustic guitars, lively, deep musical baselines from Sam and pumping Hip Hop grooves from John, the two have a fantastic chemistry and their professional background shows. In essences, the fiery rage the band have in their hooks is like a beast in a cage, brought out at just the right moment and locked up again for the average listener to recover from.

The albums fifteen songs flow is also really similar to its predecessor. The catchiest party tunes are loaded in the front end behind the intro, it starts to get more melodic and varied as the record plays on, a Hip Hop track jumps in towards the end, similar to "N 2 Gether Now" but this time with Xzibit, the two exchanging some sub par raps, however the alternate "Rollin" song has Method Man returning along with Redman and DMX, who Ive recently been listening to. The obnoxious beat was produced by Swizz Beats who also handled production on X's records. After it the album fizzles out with a long interlude outro track and like before a handful of "hidden" tracks are throw into the negative space of a tracks run time on the CD release.

I never thought this one was their best but from a popularist perspective it could well be, at the peak of the Nu Metal, Rap Metal craze the LB fine tuned their craft for the charts and I have fond memories of seeing them on MTV every day after school. To throw in some criticism, Fred's raps at times get rather sour for lack of a better word. I consider Fred to be a great front man for moving a crowd with his fun and quirky style. Rap is a tool for him to use but when paired up with some authentic rappers his rhymes sound flimsy and immature in comparison. He is always the point of contention and I think the rest of the group are nothing but solid, especially with their more expansive songs like "Boiler", "The One" and "It'll Be OK". Its not a record time will serve well but it will always be a gem to me, no thanks to the moody teenage feels those seventeen years ago.

Favorite Tracks: Hot Dog, Full Nelson, My Way, The One, Take A Look Around, It'll Be Ok

Rating: 7/10

Limp Bizkit "Gold Cobra" (2011)

Lets rewind a few years back to "Gold Cobra", the return of band everyone loves to hate, Limp Bizkit. Ten years ago they dominated the airwaves at the turn of the millennium before enduring a patchy period of lineup changes and flopped records. Their reunion with original lineup and announcement of a new record came as a shock at the time. I enjoyed this record back then but never gave it too much time. Catching Bizkit live many times since their reunion has been a true treat for the inner-child in me that loved them in my youth and recently I found myself with a hankering to listen to this one as its hooks and catchy edge swirled around in my mind these few years later.

Having reabsorbed this record I find myself with a greater appreciation for it, but I have the same qualms as back in 2011. Lets start with the positives, on "Gold Cobra" Bizkit recapture the essence of their attitude and style thats been absence since "Chocolate Starfish", but this is no nostalgic recreation, its a forward thinking record that finds the five band mates progressing as the group they once were. John Otto is keen on his kit bringing that loud slamming rock energy with a strong Hip Hop groove. At times he's a little quite but theres plenty of moments where he comes to the fore front with a massive beat. Rivers is steady and subtle as ever, rocking powerful lines under the guitars, giving much backbone for Borland's charismatic guitar style which doesn't have quite the explosive edge it once did, but he finds plenty of ways to excite with an arsenal of strange guitar noises and new rhythmic approaches.

DJ Lethal is relatively absence on this record, making his appearances in between tracks with the occasional drum sample jamming with Borland's alien leads but not bringing a lot of impact to the rest of the music with the occasional scratching and samples ringing in the background, not the same charm it once had. Fred Durst is the biggest point of contention on this record. His voice and energy is right on the mark, but the lyrical content is certainly an oddity of its own. The flow and hooks have it, but the lyrics are as tame as ever. Fred was never hailed for his lyricism, and as an adult his profanity driven attitude and basic vocabulary doesn't have the charm on me it did in my youth, at the same time there's hooks that get stuck right inside your head despite a lack of depth or connection, most the time its in one ear and out the other.

The record as a whole feels like what you world expect from and old Bizkit, theres that variety including mellower tracks reminiscent of "My Way" and "Re-Arranged", as well as some heavier aggressive numbers. "Gold Cobra" gives a fan everything they want, but its biggest flaw lies with Fred who's lyrics feel stale in a vibrant racket of energy. Great and unexpected come back record. Now I'm looking forward too "Stampede Of The Disco Elephants".

Favorite Tracks: Bring It Back, Gold Cobra, Get A Life, Walking Away, Why Try, Killer In You

Rating: 6/10

Limp Bizkit "Significant Other" (1999)

 

Limp Bizkit could well be described as the champions of the controversial Nu Metal / Rap Metal era of the late 90s/00s. At a time when MTV was still pushing alternative music Bizkit exploded into the mainstream with this, their sophomore album, topping the billboard charts on the back of hit single "Nookie". Bizkit's monumental success was fraught with controversy (Woodstock 99) and not long lived with line up changes hurting their forth effort in 03. Despite selling 40 million records worldwide they have been a love / hate band with front man Fred Durst a controversial figure often at the center of attention. I picked up this album around Christmas of 99. I was torn between Fatboy Slim's "Living Through Chemistry" and SO, which could of been a bitter disappointment, but luckily I made the right choice. Teenage angst is often cited in a negative light as a big part of Nu Metal's success, but 15 years later I still enjoy this record and appreciate what it did for me back then. At an emotionally torrid time while first discovering the world of music, deep bonds are made, I'm thankful that I've held onto them.

On SO Bizkit find their purpose and identity, evolving from the aggressive, bouncy Nu Metal outfit into a group with an immediately identifiable sound. Borland's guitar work is on a new level, pumping out phat, grooving riff after riff that gels with Otto's slamming drumming, which has a rhythmic Hip Hop quality. Rivers is always there as the glue holding the songs together and occasionally taking the lead (Re-Arranged). DJ  Lethal (once of House Of Pain) adds an extra dynamic to their sound with not just scratching, but choice samples that play well into the songs. Borland's riffage on tracks like Break Stuff is unforgettable and a huge part of what makes them so, but Durst is probably the most important part of their success.

Durst's style and attitude made him a figure of attention, his pursuit of celebrity status may have contributed to their success but it also made him a love/hate character in the eyes of many. His lyrical style is easy to attack, Durst is not the greatest of rappers and far from it, however what he brings to the table is the hook. Durst has an uncanny ability to write catchy, memorable lyrics that despite at times being cheesy and goofy, are universally relate-able. Everyones had one of those days, and "Everything is fucked, Everybody sucks" may not be deep, or poetic, but its relate-able, and thats his charm. He can also sing, has a fantastic scream too, and is the special ingredient along with Borland's riffs that gave Bizkit an explosive, original Nu Metal sound that captivated a generation for what now seems like a brief moment. Significant Other is the album that made it happen and I will forever treasure it as an important record that helped opened the door to a world of music for me.

Favorite Tracks: 9 Teen 90 Nine, Trust?, Nookie, Break Stuff, Re-Aranged, Nobody Like You

Rating: 8/10