Hello all you music fans, and welcome back to another awful album review! I didn't realize until now that it's been about three and a half months since I last did an album review on this blog, so I think now is a great time to do another one. Let's get rolling!
INTRODUCTION
The album I picked for this review is Light It Up, the second album and first major label release by rock band Rev Theory. It was first released by Interscope Records on June 10, 2008, and has sold 132,000 copies since then. About two and a half weeks after the album was released, it reached #74 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Four singles were released from the album: the title track, "Hell Yeah", "Far From Over", and "Broken Bones". "Hell Yeah" is often considered to be the band's signature song, and it was used as the theme song for the TV show Blue Mountain State. So, why did I choose to review this album, you ask? My answer is that I think it should be pretty good considering how much I am listening to the album's first two singles at the moment. And as you may know, I am a huge post-grunge fan, and I think songs like the title track represent that genre very well. In other words, I think this album will be pretty good. Let's give it a listen!
REVIEW
So when people think of post-grunge, they often think of massively popular crossover bands like Nickelback, Creed, Foo Fighters, and 3 Doors Down. Then when you start listening to it more and more, you discover bands that pretty much only dominated the rock charts, such as Godsmack, Shinedown, Chevelle, and Seether. And then you stop and find another wave of bands that were not as popular, but just as post-grunge, and often just as awesome. I think Rev Theory is one of those bands. Like a lot of these bands, they got popular off of one or two songs, and although it seems weird to listen to more from them, the stuff you hear may be good. In other words, less people may have heard of bands like these, but a lot of people who have heard of them love them just as much as they would a popular band. One of the big things I think makes this band shine is the vocals. I think Rich Luzzi is a great singer, and I love hearing his voice on any type of song. I don't know how he got to sound so good, but I am really impressed a lot of the times I hear him.
Another thing that I think sets this album apart and makes it a good one to represent post-grunge is the guitars and guitar tone used throughout the album. Not many people will notice and point out the tone of the guitars on a song or album, but on this album, I can't let that go unnoticed. It's like Billie Joe Armstrong making a Dookie guitar pedal. I especially like how it sounds on uplifting songs like "Hell Yeah". There was one point where I was thinking that Luzzi's powerful vocals would make the other instruments sound so good, but if you put the instruments by themselves, they probably would still impress me. Julien Jorgensen and Rikki Lixx were the ones responsible for that, so props to them.
Well, I don't know if I should say that those were really the only things I noticed that I thought made the album so good. I think the different post-grunge guitar styles and tones were a part of it. I didn't listen to the lyrics too much, but a lot of what I heard sounds like something that would be in a good post-grunge song. The drums were something I pointed out, too. They not only worked well with the guitars, vocals, and overall style, but they also stood out on their own, sometimes helping create an uplifting atmosphere in a lot of the songs. Dave Agogila excelled at that part. Other than that, a lot of it is sort of a "you have to listen to see the deal" thing. If you listen to it and like it, you can find more things that people like about this kind of music. There may be quite a bit. But I definitely recommend it. Now, here are my thoughts on each track.
TRACK-BY-TRACK REVIEWS
1. "Hell Yeah"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Honestly, how can someone not love this song? It's a great example of how rock songs can make great anthems. It has catchy guitar riffs and uplifting drum beats throughout that are hard to resist. Please, give your ears a rest from all that not-so-good modern pop and rap and listen to songs like these every once in a while. (I have a feeling it may be a secret strip club anthem, though.)
2. "Favorite Disease"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This one sounds cool! I wanted to hear more songs that sounded like the first two singles when listening to this album, and two tracks in I already have one. Nice going.
3. "Light It Up"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I really love the intro riff to this song. I have no idea why, I just think it sounds really grungey and cool. The good vibes seem to continue throughout the whole song, and the turnout is awesome. It is definitely an anthem, but not quite as good as "Hell Yeah". Though it still slaps.
4. "Broken Bones"
Rating: 9.99/10
Comments: I really liked the acoustic intro and the ballad-type vibe that was in the first minute, but I was thinking, "Please don't let this be a boring drum-less ballad!" I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I heard the drums kick in. The second chorus was really good, and was starting to bring life to the song. Then when I heard Rich Luzzi start singing the bridge, I was devoured in this song's greatness. This may be exaggerating a little, but I do really like this song and I think it's a good fit for a single.
5. "Kill the Headlights"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: One word: YES. The vocals on this track stand out a ton, and I think the way the guitars and drums work together gives the song a great atmosphere and sound. This is why you should listen to albums, people!
6. "Wanted Man"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: ...and all of what I just said also applies to this song. You cannot ignore the vocals on tracks like these. They make you realize that there are more talented post-grunge singers out there than you think.
7. "Ten Years"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: At first I didn't think it was quite as good as what I had heard so far, but when I heard how good Luzzi was singing here, I changed my mind. Seriously, his vocals can make a track sound really good. It's incredible.
8. "Falling Down'"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I thought that the song by Lil Peep and Xxxtentacion of the same name was great, but it's not much compared to this madness. The vocals, guitars, drums, and other sounds come together perfectly on this track.
9. "You're the One"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This didn't impress me as much as the other songs did, but it is still just as good. The acoustic guitars that appear throughout sound great. Am I just used to all this fire at this point?
10. "Far From Over"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I was waiting to hear this song because I saw someone on last.fm who thought that this was better than "Hell Yeah", so I wanted to see what the deal was. I think the song is great for sure, but I think it's hard to top "Hell Yeah", so I'm not gonna go that far with it. It does get insanely awesome at the end, however.
OVERALL ALBUM SCORE
99.99/100 = 9.99/10 = 0.99 = 99.9%
FINAL WORDS
If I had to sum up this album with a song title, it would without a doubt be "Hell Yeah". I had a lot of fun seeing what this album and this band had to offer, and I definitely want to continue listening to their discography after this. If you're interested in hearing the 99.9% quality inside this album, then you can listen to it on YouTube here or Spotify here. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a good rock band to listen to. Thanks to all who read this review, and I'll see you guys again soon! Have a great day!
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