Hollywood Undead are a Hollywood based rap-rock band, and their fifth album Day Of The Dead partially goes back to their roots while simultaneously showing they are evolving and experimenting as a band. The result is a fun filled album with some party anthems.
Day Of The Dead is a song that really gets back to the bands roots with some heavy guitar riffs and more rock style drums. The vocals are really executed and flow incredibly well; combining slower parts with acoustic guitar helps to show off the clean vocals. Additionally the screams aren’t too strong, but they help to bring the heavier side of their roots in to the song. The drums are well performed for the song, it keeps that rock vibe while simultaneously adding that hip hop style that the band are fantastic combining.
War Child is a club song with lyrics to match the club feel the band are clearly going for. The production of the song is like that of a dance song, which really suits the song; the instrumental will make you want to jump and it makes you want to get drunk and just have fun with friends. The lyrical content leaves a lot to be desired but they fit the song well, especially with the build up and drops.
Party On My Own is a party anthem for lonely people, it’s a fun song with somewhat relatable lyrics if you are lonely. The chorus is super catchy and you’ll be singing along by the end of the song and having fun. The instrumentation is well constructed, the main synth sounds phenomenal and really friendly on the ears. The kick drum which leads the song is so punchy and full. The band also managed to incorprete some of their rock roots in to the club style song with some cut up guitar riff during the instrumental breaks.
I’ll Be There is a very different song to what the band usually perform, it has country influences for one and the lyrics are less vulgar. Combining country, hip hop and pop is not an easy thing to do, but the band have done it with ease. The lyrics are rather emotional and are stereotypical country lyrics, which works really well because it’s also a fun upbeat song.
Overall the album is super fun, it’ll make you dance, sing and just go wild from start to finish. The band have clearly experimented with differing genres and it’s paid off as the songs the band have put together are fun, different and exciting. However, some of the songs feel a bit like fillers and if they focused on writing 12 smashing songs rather then 15 good songs, then it would be filled with hits.
8/10
