Foo Fighters Get Nostalgic on ‘Wasting Light’

Old-school rock music may be hard to come by these days, but by no means is it gone. While the current mainstream market is driven mostly by over-produced pop and hip-hop, rockers and metal heads have mostly hidden safely underground, reveling in the times of great music past.

Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters look the part of a hair metal band—in fact, their videos have lately been shot on VHS to give it a classic vibe. The all-star lineup behind it is also an amazing nod to metal as well as the 90s grunge movement: Lemmy from heavy metal band Mötorhead appears in the video for “White Limo;” Butch Vig, producer on Nirvana’s Nevermind and drummer for the band Garbage with Shirly Manson, produced the album; ex-Foo Pat Smear rejoined the band after leaving in 1997; and finally, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic makes a cameo. With the resurgence of 90s fashion and music, the Foos picked a perfect time to return.

Still, nostalgia is only a bonus to accompany this well-crafted album. From the first guitar riff of “Bridge Burning” to the final drum hit of “Walk,” Wasting Light flows perfectly and also shows the band’s growth. There are remnants of the softer side of Grohl in “These Days” and “I Should Have Known,” but then there are other moments of pure hard rock guitars and screaming vocals. The album was also recorded totally on analogue equipment for a slightly gritty, classic effect.

Against the rock backdrop, however, it becomes clear in the verses of “Bridge Burning” that Grohl also hasn’t lost his melodic vocals, easily switching between singing and screaming when appropriate. The entire album features a wall of hard guitars against tight melodies, held together by drummer Taylor Hawkins’s expert skills (his solo in the first single, “Rope,” is impressive).

Speaking of the single, “Rope” has already debuted at the top of the Billboard Rock Songs chart, the only other single besides Linkin Park’s “The Catalyst” to do so, and it’s for good reason—the track is expertly crafted and features every band member prominently, just as all good rock groups should do. The track is epic and heavy, a great precursor for the rest of the album.

While “Dear Rosemary” and “Arlandria” are also catchy relationship-centric rock tunes, they don’t stand out nearly as much as “White Limo,” which is bound to be a huge highlight for metal heads—Grohl’s muffled screaming complements the driving rock guitars amazingly. “Arlandria” does well musically, however, in the contrast between the simple verses and the huge chorus. The band even admitted to the U.K.’s Daily Star that the idea for big choruses throughout the record were inspired by Swedish pop group Abba.

“These Days” is a heartfelt track reminiscent of the lighter, more pop-rock sound of the Foos mid-90s days (think “Everlong” or “Learn to Fly”). As far as nostalgia goes, this one will resonate best with fans that aren’t quite ready for the heavier scene, and it also serves as a nice bridge across the sounds of their career. The same goes for “Back and Forth” and “A Matter of Time,” which also feature a bit more of an upbeat, pop-rock influence to contrast the metal, all the while still featuring enough electric guitars to fit with the flow of the album. “Miss the Misery” is a bit harder and has some great subtle hair metal-like guitars in the background.

Another highlight comes with “I Should Have Known.” The melancholy power ballad may not seem to be a driving rock track at first, but the emotion and build throughout the song and the smart use of violins gives it enough power to be ranked among the band’s best work. Bright guitars in “Walk” then bring the album to a proper close. The hopeful feel to the track and the hopeful lyrics (“learning to walk again”) are a nice, upbeat thought to end on.

Wasting Light brings nostalgia but also shows that the Foo Fighters are rocking hard as ever and evolving smoothly. The sound is a hybrid of the classic rock Grohl probably picked up in Them Crooked Vultures, grunge from the days of Nirvana and a big chunk of heavy metal to round out a flawless album by an already amazing band. With six previous albums behind them, it’s clear the Foo Fighters know how to rock; Wasting Light and the early success of “Rope” both just prove that they’ll definitely have staying power for years to come.

This article was originally published on AllMediaNY.com