Band : The Offspring

Album title : Rise And Fall, Rage and Grace

Label : Columbia Records

Distributor : Sony-BMG

Release Date : 17 / 06 / 2008

Release : CD

The Offspring released their eight studio album but it’s the band's first full-length studio release in four and a half years. It is the longest gap between The Offspring's studio albums to date. Its release had been delayed several times since front man Dexter Holland first announced the album in 2004. Writing and recording sessions for this album lasted for almost two years, making it the longest time The Offspring have ever spent working on an album. Although drummer Atom Willard, who left in July 2007, was still a member of the band during the recording sessions but now continue his duties in Angels & Airwaves. If you only remember The Offspring as pop-punk jokesters then the band's rather serious eighth album may surprise you. Over hardcore-punk grooves and a mess of guitar wreckage, the multi platinum quartet deliver their messed up stuff. Vocalist Dexter Holland sings about the media, the Iraq War, reality television and celebrity fundraisers. The album's latter half contains some welcome pop moments such as “Nothingtown" and "Let's Hear It for Rock Bottom". That kind of brooding might fit the national mood, but we easily should demand more from this punk band.

65/100

Guido Claes.