Drowning Pool Resilience Review: Ironclad Anthems

One of Drowning Pool’s constant calling cards has been their palpable viciousness in the way they belt out their songs, and this trademark continues in their latest album, “Resilience.” Some of the band’s more longtime fans might find themselves to be a bit thrown off by the voice of James Moreno, the band’s latest lead singer.

While certainly being a slight departure from voices of the past, he still far and away holds his own with the band’s solid status of being take no prisoners rockers. Being not as harsh as some of their earlier singers, he has a bit more of a melodic voice, which could easily allow for a greater range of songs in the future. Despite having a slightly more melodic voice, this album damn sure does not shy away from the band’s typical fare of badass battle anthems.

Probably the most shining example of Drowning Pool’s tried-and-true approach of “Get ‘em rowdy” is the second song on the album, “One Finger and a Fist.” It almost seems to harken back to the punk anthems of old, less a song of pure violence and more one of sheer rebellion. It is a glorious “Screw you!” to anyone wanting to hold you down, and a call to arms to continue the fight against “the system.”

However, despite their excellent opening song, “Resilience” falls into the same problem as the rest of Drowning Pool’s discology: Most of the songs tend to run together. The album is absolutely solid, but it simply comes across as being generic“Drowning Pool.” There is simply an outright lack of variety, which leaves fans wanting more. The album in and of itself is solid, but it shows the band to be spinning their wheels musically, when they could be doing so much more.

Thankfully, there are a few breaks to this pattern, with “Bleed With You” and “In Memory Of…”. Both of these songs are easily differentiated from each other, let alone being far and away different from the rest of the album entirely. “Bleed With You” is a song of unity, but not just against the enemy. It is a song about coming together as a family, whether or not you are related. It is about being blood brothers, sticking by one another through thick and thin. “In Memory Of…,” as the title would suggest, is an in memorial tune to former lead singer Dave Williams and a damn good one at that. It manages to be solemnly haunting, without being morbid and depressing. It by far makes some of the best use of David Moreno’s somewhat softer voice. It is a fitting tribute to our fallen brothers-in-arms.

Overall, “Resilience” is a solid, albeit limited, addition to the Drowning Pool collection.