(c) 2017 Century Media Records
- Echo Of A Scream
- 1000 Degrees
- No Surrender
- The Madness
- Won't Let You Down
- Changed Man
- A Light In Me
- Somber
- Dancing With The Devil
- Afterburn
Scott Stapp--Lead Vocals
Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal--Lead & Rhythm Guitars
John Votta--Lead & Rhythm Guitars
John Moyer--Bass
Vince Votta--Drums
"Super Group" is an odd tag to put on an act, especially these days. So many artists are in multiple bands, so the label doesn't seem to mean as much now as it did in the 70s and 80s, especially. But when you look at the combination of players in Art Of Anarchy, it seems somewhat appropriate to apply the tag. I mean, you have Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, who has been a member of Guns N Roses, and is a well-known, accomplished guitar player in his own right. Then you have John Moyer, the bass player for the band Disturbed. And...well, does Scott Stapp really need an introduction, having been the lead singer of Creed, easily one of the biggest...and most reviled...bands of the post-grunge 2000s? Now, if you are like me, you have no idea who the Votta brothers are...no disrespect intended at all...but still, that line-up probably deserves the "super group" moniker, especially when you learn that Stapp is, in fact, replacing another huge name, in the late Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots fame. So, yeah...I think I'll go with super group...
When I mention Art Of Anarchy to some of my music-loving friends, the first thing that many ask is, "cool, but do they sound like Creed?" Even today, years and years after that band exploded across radios and televisions across the world, it is amazing to me the two polar opposite responses Creed receives. Much like Nickelback today, they are either loved or loathed, with virtually no middle ground, and it seems a large (disproportionate?) amount of the hate is reserved for Stapp. His struggles with substance abuse and mental health issues have been widely discussed on the internet, and Stapp addressed them himself in his book, Sinner's Creed. Many people are unaware that Stapp has released two solo records, largely directed...and well-received...by the Christian rock market, and that while his vocals are unmistakable, those records don't particularly sound like Creed. The same should be said about Art Of Anarchy, for while there is no missing Stapp's vocals, the songwriting here is not Creed-esque, for the most part, and is overall much harder-hitting than the majority of Creed's material, especially the singles. For that matter, The Madness doesn't sound like Disturbed or Guns N Roses, either. Nor does it really sound like the first Art Of Anarchy record, which was okay, but not spectacular.
The Madness is a powerful hard rock album with excellent songwriting and top notch musicianship that is more than enough to allow the record to stand on its own. The guitars are crisp and edgy, and the sound is exceptionally full, with seemingly no wasted space between notes on the songs here. Lyrically, Stapp is on top of his game throughout the record, with some of his best writing to date, as he uses his personal life as fodder for many of the songs here, sometimes in obvious ways and, at other times, in far more subtle ways. The entirety of the lead single, "The Madness" is obviously written about Stapp's struggles, with a chorus of:
"The other side of fear is freedom, the other side of pain is healing,
The Madness keeps me from the other side.
The truth, the lie, the shame the glory,
The love, the hate, an endless story,
The madness or the other side."
He also interjects his faith into songs throughout the record without beating the listener over the head with it. Take for example the song "A Light In Me", where Stapp sings:
"The shadows...turning day into night...,
Where is the light?
The shadows...stay to remind me that there is...
There's a light in me!
There's a light in me!"
...or the powerful chorus of the high octane rocker, "No Surrender":
"No way out...hit the flatline,
We get up, no surrender,
It's your time...grab the lifeline,
We get up no surrender...No Surrender.
Time has stopped,
Time to choose,
This could be the end of you,
This could be the end of you."
If forced to pick favorites from the record, the first half of the record is absolutely stellar, with not a single bad song among the first four. The previously mentioned "The Madness" and "No Surrender" are my two favorites from the record, but the scorching anthem that is"1000 Degrees", and arena shaking "Echo Of A Scream" are right there neck-and-neck as both are hard-hitters. For those seeking a softer moment, the power ballad, "Changed Man" is absolutely on point, with Stapp baring his emotions and his soul to the listener in what many would say is the the most Creed-like moment of the record, even though I think it sounds more like Stapp's solo material than Creed.
Speaking of Stapp's solo material, the one song I really don't care for here is "Somber", which I believe is a track that he brought to the group from his shelved solo record from about 8 years ago. The song matches its title, and to be honest, its kind of a downer...something of a mood-killer for an otherwise excellent record. It doesn't destroy the record, and I don't necessarily skip it...at least all the time...but it definitely doesn't match the power and quality of the other nine tracks here. Fortunately, the band rights the ship on the last two songs, as both the sassy "Dancing With The Devil" and the scorching "Afterburn", another soul-baring moment for Stapp.
The packaging is solid, as is usually the case with Century Media, with a full booklet complete with photos and lyrics, as well as a cool tri-fold case which features some pretty awesome artwork. In fact, I prefer the interior, alternate cover to the one that is packaged as the exterior. Perhaps this is so that people who are fans of the spiritual side of Stapp won't be turned off, and hey, in today's music market, bands can't afford to turn away a single purchaser.
Thus far, Art Of Anarchy would likely be my surprise album of 2017, and it has managed to stay in my CD player for the better part of the summer. It would have to be an amazing Fall and Winter full of killer albums to knock The Madness from the Top 5 albums of the year for me. It is that good. Hopefully, this is not the last we will hear from this amazing melodic, hard rocking "super group".
Rating: Crankable to the extreme! Crank this to 9!
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The Madness keeps me from the other side.
The truth, the lie, the shame the glory,
The love, the hate, an endless story,
The madness or the other side."
He also interjects his faith into songs throughout the record without beating the listener over the head with it. Take for example the song "A Light In Me", where Stapp sings:
"The shadows...turning day into night...,
Where is the light?
The shadows...stay to remind me that there is...
There's a light in me!
There's a light in me!"
...or the powerful chorus of the high octane rocker, "No Surrender":
"No way out...hit the flatline,
We get up, no surrender,
It's your time...grab the lifeline,
We get up no surrender...No Surrender.
Time has stopped,
Time to choose,
This could be the end of you,
This could be the end of you."
If forced to pick favorites from the record, the first half of the record is absolutely stellar, with not a single bad song among the first four. The previously mentioned "The Madness" and "No Surrender" are my two favorites from the record, but the scorching anthem that is"1000 Degrees", and arena shaking "Echo Of A Scream" are right there neck-and-neck as both are hard-hitters. For those seeking a softer moment, the power ballad, "Changed Man" is absolutely on point, with Stapp baring his emotions and his soul to the listener in what many would say is the the most Creed-like moment of the record, even though I think it sounds more like Stapp's solo material than Creed.
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| (Alternate, interior cover) |
The packaging is solid, as is usually the case with Century Media, with a full booklet complete with photos and lyrics, as well as a cool tri-fold case which features some pretty awesome artwork. In fact, I prefer the interior, alternate cover to the one that is packaged as the exterior. Perhaps this is so that people who are fans of the spiritual side of Stapp won't be turned off, and hey, in today's music market, bands can't afford to turn away a single purchaser.
Thus far, Art Of Anarchy would likely be my surprise album of 2017, and it has managed to stay in my CD player for the better part of the summer. It would have to be an amazing Fall and Winter full of killer albums to knock The Madness from the Top 5 albums of the year for me. It is that good. Hopefully, this is not the last we will hear from this amazing melodic, hard rocking "super group".
Rating: Crankable to the extreme! Crank this to 9!
Back To Reviews Index
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