If nothing else, Drowning Pool are survivors. In the wake of the death of their original lead singer, Dave Williams, the band members struggled to move forward, picking and then rejecting another frontman before settling on their current vocalist, Ryan McCombs. But though Drowning Pool have made two albums since their debut with Williams, 2001’s Sinner, the band’s creative spark has faded badly. As a result, their new live album, Loudest Common Denominator, might be a testament to Drowning Pool’s perseverance, but that resolve doesn’t necessarily translate to great music.
A Tour Through Drowning Pool's Greatest Hits
Loudest Common Denominator was recorded during a 2008 show in San Diego, and although the band’s three albums have each featured a different singer – Williams on Sinner, Jason Jones on Desensitized, and McCombs on Full Circle – this live disc nails those records’ highlights, serving as a sort of de-facto best-of, albeit the McCombs-sung version of those hits. There’s no question that musically Drowning Pool is a more articulate nu-metal band than most of their peers, but the live setting (and McCombs’ uninspired heavy-metal vocal style) don’t do these songs any favors.Metal Cliches
Sinner established the band’s penchant for soul-searching angst, but the lyrical agony was offset by Dave Williams’ capable voice and the group’s catchy hard rock. That balance between darkness and light has proved trickier since Williams’ passing, and it becomes a major problem on Loudest Common Denominator. In short, where once Drowning Pool were a smart metal group, they’ve now evolved (or, rather, devolved) into a more middle-of-the-road metal band, susceptible to the genre’s head-banging clichés. A recent song like “Shame” is textbook metal – vocals that move between frenzied and growled, offset by generically “creepy” guitar fairly reminiscent of Alice in Chains – but rather than coming alive on stage, the song merely becomes louder and more colorless. Throughout Loudest Common Denominator, Drowning Pool emphasize their aggression, often at the expense of shading, nuance or feeling.For Fans Only
In an interview after the release of Sinner, Dave Williams mentioned that he and the rest of the band became friends because they all loved Faith No More, a cutting-edge art-metal band. Drowning Pool weren’t groundbreaking on Sinner, but they at least demonstrated a desire to bring experimentation to the mainstream. Sadly, since then they’ve been lead by frontmen all too happy to engage in the more meathead aspects of metal. On Loudest Common Denominator, McCombs engages in typical “let me hear you scream”-type banter with the crowd that’s meant to keep the audience at a fever pitch. Fans of the band might enjoy such gimmicks, but to the objective listener, these moments feel calculated and uninspired. It’s hard not to assume from Loudest Common Denominator that Drowning Pool went from being a daring band to an ordinary one that sounds happy simply to have weathered the admittedly difficult tragedy of a key band member’s death.The Highlights
These complaints aren’t meant to fully overshadow some strong moments. “Step Up” and “Reminded” remain captivating songs, and McCombs does good work making these tunes his own. But it’s telling that one of Loudest Common Denominator’s highlights is an acoustic demo of “37 Stitches” tacked on at the end. Away from the demands of the concert stage, Drowning Pool settle into a melodic groove and McCombs gets to demonstrate some actual range. Ironically, it takes a compelling track like the stripped-down, hushed “37 Stitches” to reveal what’s wrong with a lot of the aptly-titled Loudest Common Denominator – it’s an album full of brute-force hard rock that disappointingly plays down to its audience.Best 'Loudest Common Denominator' Tracks:
“Step Up”“Reminded”
“37 Stitches (Acoustic Demo)”
“Bodies”
Release date – March 3, 2009
Eleven Seven Music
