| Music Review | A.C. Hall |
Limp Bizkit “The Unquestionable Truth (Part One)”
To be honest, I wasn’t planning on reviewing this album
at all, the only reason I even listened to it was because it
had piqued my interest by the lack of marketing and
advertisement it had gotten. It wasn’t even two minutes into
the first track when I realized this was something worth
bringing people’s attention too. I’ve always found people’s
hatred of Fred Durst amusing. I’ve never really considered
myself a Limp Bizkit fan, but I still have never quite
understood the reasoning behind a lot of people’s severe
dislike of the man. After listening to “The Unquestionable
Truth Part One”, I no longer find it amusing. Because that
irrational dislike is going to cause a lot of people to miss
out on this record. And that’s a shame. It packs more
meaning and metal into thirty minutes than most metal
records have over the past three years. Gone are the radio
friendly hooks and party anthems of old. They’ve been
replaced by a face in the mud, punch in the teeth thirty
minute record that, given a fair shake, will knock you over,
set you on fire, then run away laughing.
The
music section of Limp Bizkit have taken their craft to a
whole other level here. The metal is alive as they take
tried and true guitar riffs and mix them with some truly
unique and driving song structures. It’s very nearly like
listening to a different band. This can be attributed in no
small part to the return of original guitarist Wes Borland
to the band, who is in top form and records one of his best
performances to date on this album.
But when it comes to Limp Bizkit, it’s all about Fred Durst
for most people. The whiney voiced front man that most
people love to hate, Fred Durst really does very little to
get in the way of the powerful songs here. Gone are his
patented high pitched “yeahs” and rap style verses. In their
place we find a confident singer tackling some heavy
subjects through his lyrics. From the existence of God, the
media, organized religion, even to his own legacy, Fred
Durst tackles some truly daunting subjects with a surprising
amount of emotion and intellect. Where in the past he just
may say “f” you or threaten to punch the subjects in the
face, this time out he’s actually going out of his way to
think up intelligent and meaningful lyrics. One thing that
actually has more impact than the serious subject matter is
perhaps the way that it’s approached. It’s not just fodder
for Fred Durst to dance upon as he sells another million
records. He delivers the lyrics with something we’ve never
really gotten from Fred Durst; sincerity.
By the end of the record, if you’ve given it a fair shake,
you’ll realize that Fred Durst is just like you and me. A
man searching for a higher power, a meaning to the madness
of the world around us, respect for the life that he’s led,
and in the end just a safe place for his child to grow up.
If this short album is any indication as to the direction
Limp Bizkit is headed as a band then sign me up.
FOUR AND A 1/2 OUT OF FIVE STARS