After a thrilling Austrian Grand Prix with MotoGP that saw Francesco Bagnaia secure his 3rd win in a row, following was Fabio Quartararo in second and Jack Millar in third. It also saw tragedy for Joan Mir after a highside on the first lap left him with a fractured ankle. To follow on with the excitement from the race we have Hollywood Undead's latest album Hotel Kalifornia, this is the bands eighth studio album and overall makes for a great listen.
Heres a track-by-track breakdown of the album, with each song being ranked from p.1 to p.14. *TRACKS ARE LISTED IN ALBUM ORDER*
CHAOS - p.14
CHAOS is the first song of the album and was released as a single prior to the album release. Overall it is lyrically and musically good, however, I personally am not a fan of it, it does feel quite repetitive and with a lot of distortion on the instrumentals at points it doesn't work too well with some sound systems.
World War Me - p.5
World War Me has that classic simple stripped back Hollywood Undead instrumental behind the rapped verses and builds towards the chorus. It slows down and gets deeper towards the bridge before finishing with one last chorus. Overall it is a very enjoyable song to listen to and has a similar sound to older Hollywood Undead sounds.
Ruin My Life - p.4
Ruin My Life has that old school classic Hollywood Undead party sound to it. It has that hyped up boosted chorus with the boys individual rap verses in between and carries the wild Hollywood Undead energy throughout the song.
Hourglass - p.12
Hourglass overall has the newer sound to it, although it has the old style versus mixed in to the blend. Overall it sounded quieter than the other songs in the album, whether that was done in the mixing of the song or if it's just more dull than the others. There was a switch up of style just before Johnny 3 Tears verse which sounded much better than the original sound of the song, but primarily it wasn't the best song of the album.
Go To War - p.8
Go To War has that older classic Hollywood Undead sound, which always sounds great, it was also very good lyrically. Overall it's entertaining to listen to and very easy to get immersed into. It has a very nice flow and solid beat which proves for a great listening experience.
Alone At The Top - p.7
Alone At The Top has a newer sound with old school style versus, which overall makes for a great blend of styles from the band and shows their ability for growth and adaptation within their music. The building and falling of sounds and energy has been fit seamlessly into this song and provides a captivating listening experience.
Wild In These Streets - p.3
Wild In These Streets was the second album track that was released as a single prior to this album and was originally released with GTA inspired artwork. It's a great party style song and very reminiscent of older Hollywood Undead songs. Overall it's got a good sound and is very effective in taking you back to an earlier era of the band.
Dangerous - p.9
Dangerous has been done in the old Hollywood Undead style and is a great song for if you want to be taken back to the bands older eras while still enjoying a newer sound. There are many songs on the album that work to blend both styles together, but Dangerous in particular is a good example of this.
Lion Eyes - p.13
Lion Eyes is another song that fits the older style of the band with a blend of the newer style. Although they did well to combine the styles in this song it does become repetitive both lyrically, in the chorus, and instrumentally. The chorus feels like it drags on for an abnormally long time and the versus sound quite short, but overall it's a good sound.
Trap God - p.11
Trap God was the last track to be released as a single before the album and while it is a very enjoyable and catchy song to listen to, I personally thought it could have been better. I really liked the styles of the verses and lyrically I thought the song was quite good, however it got let down in the chorus. While I thought the chorus did fit the style of the song I didn't like it very much, it got very repetitive and the sound all mashed together.
Happy When I Die - p.6
Happy When I Die has a similar sound to the album Charlie Scene released earlier this year, Outsider. It has a mixed style of Hollywood Undead's older sound and Charlie's newer one.Overall it has a nice sound and is quite catchy lyrically.
Reclaim - p.10
Reclaim has a newer style of Hollywood Undead sound and this style has been executed by the band quite well. The song could stand alone to showcase the bands new sound but also works well to fit into the rest of the bands discography. Overall it's very enjoyable to listen to and gives me high hopes for the future style of the band.
City Of The Dead - p.2
City Of The Dead is the second last song on the album and was also released as a single prior to the full album release. Overall it is a very good song, both lyrically and instrumentally, and fits more into the newer style of songs that Hollywood Undead have been coming out with.
Alright - p.1
Alright was the last song on the album and my favourite from it, every element of the song sounded good and together they sounded amazing. Lyrically the song was able to convey a range of emotion and this emotion was carried through the instrumentals with the rising and falling of sounds. Overall it was perfect blend of new and old Hollywood Undead styles and was the perfect way to finish off a great album.