"Remember the first time you heard Brand New, Foo Fighters, Taking Back Sunday, or Underoath? Remember that primal urgency that drove Rage Against The Machine? Get ready to feel it again". This is the opening paragraph on Write This Down's bio on the Tooth and Nail website. If you are a fan of any of these bands sans Underoath you will feel horribly mislead by this statement. The only thing I felt while listening to this was nausea.
Of all the bands that you could choose to try and model your band after why in god's name would you pick Linkin Park? Well that is exactly what Write This Down did on their Tooth and Nail debut "Lost Weekend". If you love generic radio rock with the whole sing verse/scream chorus structure you are in luck. I have found your new favorite band. There is not one original thing on this CD. PERIOD. Even the vocalists Johnny Collier does his best Chester Bennington (singer of Linkin Park) impression, and he nails it. Sadly.
The album opens up with the radio friendly "The older I get the better I was". This is nothing you haven't heard a million times already on any rock station in whatever city you live in. Even the lyrics are tired and generic. "We've come to shake things up. We're here to make things interesting. God forbid that we bring offense when you read our sins in the album print". There is not one thing on this horrendous album that is even remotely offensive. They play it safe in every way shape and form from lyrics to music to production. The only thing that offended me is the fact that this band even got signed.
Tooth and Nail has never been my favorite label, but they use to sign bands like Blindside, Further Seems Forever, MxPx, and Frodus. All of whom are leaps and bounds ahead of this band. This band is so far removed from the punk roots of this label that I have a very different opinion of Tooth and Nail now. I'm not against them trying to make money, but this is a clear case of going for the money. I can see Write This Down making a jump to a major label real soon. They are as arena rock ready as any band out there right now.
I don't need to go into a track by track description of this album because the description of the first song is the same for every song on this CD. Minus "Minnesota Interlude" and "Cheap Affairs" which are slow sappy songs aimed at the ladies. They probably are the best songs on this album, but that's not saying anything. If you listen to one song, then you have heard the entire CD.
I will leave you with this parting thought. I gave Lita Ford's new album more stars than this album. When you are getting outplayed by an over the hill rocker you might need to rethink your approach to music.
Staff Rating
0.50/5
User Rating
1/5
