Foo Fighters rise above in their latest studio release

In a stunning new release by the Foo Fighters, “Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace” comes blaring onto the scene as the band’s sixth studio album, following the stunning success of their previous, “In Your Honor”.

As an avid rock fan, the Foo Fighters have been on my radar but to be fair, they’ve never shown anything deserving of creative praise.. On occasion, I’ve listened to the big tracks by Foo Fighters, namely “Best of You” and “Monkey Wrench”, but with any largely popular single, these songs have been overplayed to such a point that it wasn’t a wonder the band left a sour taste in passing without any actual listen of the band’s non-single songs. I love being wrong about bands though, because it shows that there is always talent in mainstream pop. For the first listen, I was left stunned and found myself endlessly listening to the album for the following weeks.

To start, there is nothing really inventive about the album. That isn’t saying the music is formulaic (though that may be accurate) but that is fine considering the performance quality. Each song on this album has single potential that show Foo Fighters as a pop and rock powerhouse and in a reviewer context, it makes for a great album. In drawing comparisons to an earlier album, namely “The Color and the Shape”, the band has moved on but has retained the original and definitive lyrics and blarring power rifts. In comparison, this new album trumps its predecessor with ease. The specifics of that are harder to explain though; in essence, the music is the same but there are key differences. David Grohl, while being a bit more subdued, is in higher control of his voice in this later album displaying his talent as a singer and lending to great harmony sections. Another plus is the cleaner quality of guitar play, which while still strongly seated in its roots, has come to a new level.

The introduction, “The Pretender,” argues the band has retained their core and is tipping the same old hat, but it’s deeper into the album that they really release. “Let it Die” is my favorite song from this album lyrically and because it shows a different side to the band, and that is really something to be said. It just keeps getting better as the album keeps going. I could literally list every song in the album as both unique and easily likeable, almost presenting a flavor of Foo Fighters for everyone.

There will be Led Zeppelin fans up in arms about the introduction track using a surprisingly similar introduction rift to “Stairway to Heaven”. Throwing my opinion in, yes, I will admit the rift is similar but is in no way a complete rip. Also, while the rift is used in a similar context, it was not used in the same scale, it used a different note structure and felt more like a tribute than a steal.

As a sum of it all, this is a really great album and will get you hooked to the Foo Fighters phenomena with you possibly kicking and screaming the whole way. This is a must buy and lends a need to see them live. Right now. Go!

Official Thorn rating: 4 elephants