Drowning Pool is back after what seemed to be an indefinite hiatus. The band’s new album, Strike A Nerve, officially dropped on September 30th, 2022, so let’s dive in!
The album’s intro track, “Doing Time In Hell”, is only a minute long and screams, “Get ready, you are in for a ride!” And, what a ride it is! Next thing you know, “Hate Against Hate”, a modern-day fight song that will give you the strength you need to conquer anything life throws at you, is blaring in your ears.
I can definitely start my day with this song — who needs coffee?!
Not to mention, the snare drums sound perfect… which leads us into the album’s third track, “Stay and Bleed”. Go ahead and spin out of control with this one. This is easily gonna be the fan-favorite of the album. While this song sounds like Slipknot and In Flames did a collab together, it’s a cool mix. Can we please get a Slipknot, Drowning Pool and In Flames tour together, metal gods?? I also love the chorus of this one… you just have to hear it for yourself. Following next is the title track, with lyrics like “I strike a nerve if I breathe a word”. Woah, I wasn’t expecting it to go there! “I strike a nerve if I breathe a word // I can’t go back, cause my bridges are burned.” The awesome snare drum makes its almighty return; I’m starting to notice a lot of snare drums will be used throughout this album. “Can you hear an empty stage?… Can you hear tomorrow rage?” Jasen Moreno sure does a good job of getting the listener to feel what he’s feeling — an A+ type of song.
“Racing To A Red Light” has a nice pinch of acoustic guitar in the beginning. After that, it’s a rager of a song. I don’t suggest speeding in your car to this — you WILL get pulled over. Next is “Choke”, the second single that dropped before the album’s official release. It has a very 80s or 90s vibe… I can’t really tell how I feel about this one, but I like it. Great middle of the album kind of experience, if you ask me. And, no LP is complete without a ballad, which brings us to “Everything But You”. Slower, it’s a nice break from the rock side of this album. I felt immediate peace wash over me while listening to it… but, no spoilers here on what happens next! Of course, “Down In The Dirt” sucker-punched me next. This track spun me around with a body-slam! I hope a UFC fighter uses this as their entry song.
“Rope” is a banger, as well.
I definitely don’t want to get on a drop ride after hearing this one, but I can definitely see myself coming back to this song time and time again. With so much happening in the album thus far, you’d think that Drowning Pool would wind down for the end. Think again. “A Devil More Damned” paints the picture that “every sinner has a future, every saint has a past”. Jasen Moreno is just screaming this at the top of his lungs. These words couldn’t be anymore true, so thanks for the words of wisdom, Jasen! “Mind Right” states “I was born into this world to dominate”; I’m sure everyone feels this way about themselves or felt this way at one time or another. What a way to resonate with listeners and leave them wanting more for the end song! To be honest I loved this album! It has traces of both old and new styles, and it has a 9 out of 10 in my book. Welcome back, Drowning Pool!
Purchase or stream ‘Strike A Nerve’ album:
Track listing:
- “Doing Time In Hell”
- “Hate Against Hate”
- “Stay And Bleed”
- “Strike A Nerve”
- “Racing To A Red Light”
- “Choke”
- “Everything But You”
- “Down In The Dirt”
- “Rope”
- “A Devil More Damned”
- “Mind Right”
Drowning Pool – “Mind Right”
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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
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