Cole Garvey
Sports Editor
Weezer once again reinvents themselves in their brand new recently released studio album “Weezer; The Black Album.”
Weezer, an alternative rock band based out of Los Angeles, California was formed in 1992 and recently released their 13th studio album, “Weezer; The Black Album.” Weezer’s members, Rivers Cuomo (lead singer and guitarist), Brian Bell (guitar), Scott Shriner (bass guitar) and Patrick Wilson (drums) have been influenced by bands like Kiss, Nirvana, The Cars and The Pixie since their formation in ‘92. After taking a break in the late nineties, the band returned with their most famous album, “The Green Album,” in 2001 and have been rocking since.
The impressive and unique album, “Weezer; The Black Album” strongly follows up the band’s successful “Teal Album” with superb guitar and drum work by Brian Bell and Patrick Wilson as well as great vocals by Rivers Cuomo. The album goes back to the classic Weezer sound found in the “Green Album,” as well as experimenting with new EDM style trap drums and a high pitched electric guitar. The album has songs for fans looking for a new and unique Weezer experience, as well as the classic Weezer sound found in their albums from the ‘90s.
“Weezer; The Black Album” was hinted to the public in April 2016 after Weezer came out with their 11th studio album “Weezer; The White Album.” This album, being more adult and darker in tone than many of the band’s other albums, includes Cuomo swearing, something that the band has never done before in their lyrics. Around the internet, the album acquired more intermediate and mediocre ratings, scoring a 56 out of 100 on Metacritic and four out of five stars on AllMusic.
Throughout the album, Cuomo’s distinct vocals shine and are used in many different ways. Cuomo, priorly known to raise his voice and strike the high notes of a song, goes low throughout the album, and “Weezer; The Black Album” shines because of this. His voice especially shines in the track “Living In LA,” where he alternates between both high and low pitches.
The guitar and drums performances through the album, especially in the ending minutes in songs like “Too Many Thoughts in My Head” and “California Snow” are superb and forces the listener to truly respect the talents of the musicians. The guitar seems to always hit the spot for the listener, and the drums perfectly keep time for the listeners as well as the rest of the band.
The first song on the the album, “Can’t Knock the Hustle” begins the catchy and jumpy beat, which hooks the listener into the album. This is a great starting point for the album, because it sets the tone as upbeat and joyful, something that the rest of the album lives up to.
Although the songs in the middle of the album start to sound slightly repetitive, “California Snow” ends the album on a high note with its new and impressive sound. The beginning of the song includes high notes executed on an electric guitar, and trap drums pound throughout, causing for a fresh take on the previously established Weezer sound.
“Weezer; The Black Album” truly shines as the 13th studio album by the band. Although this album doesn’t scratch the surface of “The Green Album” in 2001 or “Weezer” in 1994, the album does include impressive vocals, guitar and drums as well as a new and interesting sound.
“Weezer; The Black Album” can be found online on the band’s website as well as on Amazon for $9.99 as a CD and $17.84 on vinyl. The album can also be found for free on streaming sites such as Spotify, Apple Music and Youtube
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