Within the nu-metal sub-genre of pop-metal — Puddle of Mudd, Seether, The Exies and Evanescence — the royal court welcomes the new dukes of faux-angst, teenage disenfranchised rock faction: Smile Empty Soul and their self-titled debut.
Guilty by association? Let’s begin with their label, Lava Records, whose roster consists of pop-rock heroes/underachievers Hot Action Cop, Simple Plan and the loveable Kid Rock with sidekick Uncle Kracker.
Lava Records seems to be a haven for refugee pop-metal bands that weren’t good enough for Wind-Up Records, long known as the Emerald City of pop-metal brilliance. Creed, 12 Stones, Evanescence and Seether all call Wind-Up home, but Smile Empty Soul must not be able to move from the shadows of Creed’s Jesus Christ complex, where frontman Scott Stapp muses whether he is the second coming of the chosen one.
To Smile Empty Soul’s credit, they have a great violin section on “This is War,” not to mention a gripping anti-war message when vocalist Sean Danielson sings, “Now it’s down to this/ It’s just you and me/ I’ll blow your fucking head off for my country.”
Powerful words indeed, but where is the anthem that will empathize with me because I resent my mommy and daddy? It is a pop-metal must have if you plan to sell millions of records to jaded teenagers.
Oh here it is, slyly hiding under the name “Nowhere Kids,” with Danielson gargling the ominous queries, “What did you expect?/ A perfect child?/ Raised by TV sets?/ … No one gives a shit/ As long as we smile.”
The frequency of inclement language undoubtedly will entice some, but the oddity of four-letter words even being present in these songs is a complete sham. How is Smile Empty Soul going to sell albums with a Parental Advisory sticker on it?
I sure hope the publicity department is on top of that, because they sure weren’t on the ball when they wrote the press release. In simpleton’s terms, the marketing department should never compare a band’s debut album to The Clash’s “London Calling,” ACDC’s “Back In Black” or Nirvana’s “Nevermind.” That might cause someone to think the album might be good or even buy it.
Don’t worry. This trio, consisting of Derek Gledhill on drums, Ryan Martin on bass and singer/guitarist Danielson, hails from Santa Clarita, Ca. — a bedroom community on the outskirts of Los Angeles. They’re not even cool enough to be from L.A.
It is another Santa Clarita pop-metal band that will eventually be on TRL, have major drug problems and eventually end up on VH1’s “Behind The Music.” Just what the already lackluster music community needs, another Linkin Park.