The Pretty Reckless 'Death by Rock and Roll' - Album Review
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After almost an entire year in worldwide lockdown, The Pretty Reckless put their down time to good use. 'Death by Rock and Roll' is the fourth studio album released by The Pretty Reckless, and the first album recorded since the passing of their long-time producer Kato Khandwala. The album was instead produced by Johnathan Wyman and serves as touching tribute to Khandwala. The opening title track and the closing country western inspired 'Harley Darling', a song about the love of a Harley Davidson, are obvious tributes to the late producer, as Khandwala himself was tragically killed in a motorcycle crash. 'Death by Rock and Roll' also pays tribute to another friend of the band, the late singer Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, who passed away in 2017.
The album touches on themes of loss, tragedy and depression, not too dissimilar from their previous works. However, 'Death by Rock and Roll' definitely carries much heavier undertones in comparison to older releases. The feeling of real life tragedy is incredibly present and serves the album for the better, making it a much more passionate, emotional and relatable experience.
Real life implications aside, how does the album fair in regards to the music and does it stand up to their previous releases? Well if nothing else, this album is by far the most diverse they've ever recorded. The Pretty Reckless may have experimented in the past with tracks such as 'Take Me Down' from their 2016 release 'Who You Selling For', but they have always generally stuck to a fairly pure rock n' roll formula. 'Death by Rock and Roll' takes a different approach. Where the album definitely still has ties to hard rock, the band experiment with epic ballads, country and western inspired sing along songs and even a bizarre forty second prologue before one of the tracks.
In terms of stand out tracks, most of them do happen to be their more traditional hard rock tunes. 'Death by Rock and Roll' as an opening track explodes through the speakers, and seems to embody every element of hard rock that resonates most with the fans. The track almost serves as an homage to rock n' roll as a whole, with a hard hitting, groovy, 80s inspired guitar riffs, a pounding rhythm section and juicy guitar solos. This is also supported by the lyrics, detailing the dangers of the rock n' roll lifestyle, while still embracing it with a passionate love and respect.
"I wanna go with a shotgun blast, I wanna go in a motorcycle crash. Out on my own, I don't need to be saved, I wanna go out my way. But on my tombstone when I go, just put death by rock n' roll".
The album continues it's path of hard hitting rock n' roll with the slow and epic 'Only Love Can Save me Now'. We hear a more refined vocal performance from Taylor Momson, with her voice reaching a new sense of maturity. Then guitarist Ben Phillips hypnotizes you with groovy riffs and face melting solos. This track is followed by the archetypal Pretty Reckless song 'And So it Went' featuring Tom Morello. This single embodies everything the fans want from a Pretty Reckless song. A fast hitting punk inspired guitar riff, sharp vicious vocals and a bouncy catchy chorus. It goes as far as to even include a choir for the final chorus, very reminiscent of 'Going To Hell's title track. Tom Morello also seems adopts this approach, providing one of his slickest most bone chilling solos to date, yet still keeping it remarkably familiar. Even the most casual fan would be able recognize his signature style from the first few notes.
As said before, the first half of this album is dominated by these vicious anthems, however, there is one in particular that stands out. This being the album's lead single '25'. This is by far the most interesting and unique song, not only on this album, but in the band's entire catalog. Not a rock n' roll single, not an acoustic ballad, but more a grand, bluesy, almost cinematic experiment. Slow haunting chord progressions and dark thought provoking lyrics; "At twenty-five and still alive, much longer than expected for a man. At twenty-five, all hope has died. And the glass of my intentions turns to sand, and shatters in my hand". This is arguably one of the best songs on the album and is the first track to truly stand out from the crowd, having less in common with a typical Pretty Reckless track, sounding more akin to a James Bond theme.
As '25' comes to a close we get treated to the rib shattering treat that is 'My Bones' which is followed by the slower, more melodic, acoustic number 'Got So High'. Acoustic songs have been a staple of the Pretty Reckless since their debut, and this album is definitely no stranger to that. Not only does the album deliver acoustic numbers but also a range of slower, calmer, quieter tracks. Almost the entire second half seems to be dedicated to the softer side of rock n' roll. Songs such as 'Harley Darling', 'Turning Gold', 'Rock and Roll Heaven' and 'Standing at the Wall' all embrace a more country orientated feel to them, focusing more on lyrical messages and melodies rather than overall hard rock. 'Standing at the Wall' particularly stands out as it features Momson's best vocal performance on the entire album.
Despite the vocal performance of 'Standing at the Wall' and the simple yet affective 'Got So High', this leads into my largest issue with the album. Where there is nothing particularly wrong with softer more country inspired tracks, it somewhat deviates from the rest of the album's hard rock basis. When you hear the title 'Death by Rock and Roll' you anticipate being slammed in the face with a scathing blast of powerful hard rock, and the album does deliver throughout the first half. However, after 'Witches Burn' the hard rock simply stops, and it doesn't return. Now, is there anything wrong with the second half?
Aside from the final two tracks, not really. Again the final tracks themselves aren't bad as they feature fitting lyrics and beautiful vocal performances from Momson. Unfortunately, aside from the lyrical tribute in 'Harley Darling', the song itself is a bit too country and western for my taste, as is 'Rock and Roll Heaven', the latter even being a rather good song. But on a hard rock album, closing the record with two very country oriented songs doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, especially since 'Harley Darling', even for a country song, is very generic and unoriginal. As a touching tribute it works, but when this the third country song in a row, in a seemingly endless stream of softer rock, I can't help but feel the album has taken a step down.
Having a mix of both hard and soft rock isn't a terrible idea, many artists have done this and succeeded. Just listen to the 'White Album' by the Beatles, or the 'Use Your Illusion' records by Guns N' Roses. 'Death by Rock and Roll' simply highlights the true importance of sequencing. Aside from the final track being rather generic, I enjoy every track on this album individually, but I can't not notice the clear divide between the first and second half. If the album could be re-sequenced I feel it would flow much more coherently, as appose to a harsh change of direction. For example, it could open with 'Death by Rock and Roll', then go straight into '25'. Immediately the listener would be presented with the diversity of the record, and prepares them properly for what they are about to hear.
Sequencing aside, I do enjoy this album and I believe it has a very interesting and powerful selection of songs. Again, aside from the final track, there isn't a track on this album I dislike. I even have a oddly bizarre love of the forty second track 'Broomsticks', a track just made for crazy Halloween fanatics. It delivers on the hard screeching anthems we all came to hear, as well as the thoughtful, deep and haunting acoustic experiences. Overall, I think 'Death by Rock and Roll' is a strong album, with my personal highlights being '25', 'And So it Went', 'Only Love can Save me Now' and the title track. Where I don't believe it stands above their first two records, I do believe it is their best release since 'Heaven Knows'. It may not be the best Pretty Reckless album, but it is a fine addition to the catalog. With a strong collection of songs, a more diverse approach, and a genuine passion for the art that the whole band seems to share.
Track Listing:
2. Only Love Can Save Me Now (Feat. Matt Cameron & Kim Thayil)
3. And So It Went (Feat. Tom Morello)
4. 25
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