Limp Bizkit - Still Sucks (Album Review)
Limp Bizkit – Still Sucks
Released: October 31, 2021
Lineup
Fred Durst // Vocals
John Otto // Drums
Sam Rivers // Bass & Backing Vocals
Wes Borland // Guitar & Vocals
DJ Lethal // Turntables & Sampling
Online
Holy Fucking Shit. Limp Bizkit have released their new album Still Sucks and half of the world wouldn't even know because it wasn't advertised, it was only hyped up when the band announced it was coming a couple of days ago via their socials and now, more than ten years after the release of 2011's Gold Cobra, I'm sitting here, hitting play on their latest musical efforts... Here's my thoughts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnhvI9SCPfk
'Out Of Style' begins with frontman Fred Durst's wise words of "we cannot change the past, but can start today to make a better tomorrow" before guitarist Wes Borland brings us up to a classic nu-metal breakdown with DJ Lethal spinning the decks like it was 1999. This one has the same kind of album opener feel as 'Just Like This' from Significant Other with a focus on Fred's white dad rapping skills that are still as tight as they were back in the day. It's a nice return to form and a pleasant ease back into Limp Bizkit's world. 'Dirty Rotten Bizkit' is straight up Chocolate Starfish-era limp with an intro riff that took me straight back to 'Hot Dog'. With a sing-a-long inducing chorus that'll have the crowd screaming the words back to the band at upcoming shows, this'll be the new party anthem for the band in no time. The guitar tones adjacent to DJ Lethal's scratching are pure nu-metal goodness and showcase how and why Limp Bizkit after all these years are the absolute kings of the genre. There's beatboxing, lots of built up angst and a sound that'll no doubt take you back to your youth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i6-xwzCs0k
'Dad Vibes' is next and when this song first burst onto the scene a few weeks ago I still maintain it is one of the catchiest things Limp have done in their entire career. The majority of their fanbase would now be middle aged men who have swapped the baggy jeans, wallet chains and oversized tee-shirts for blue collar button-ups and dad life, so the anthem we need for our current lives has arrived, and with Daddy Durst leading the charge for us to embrace our Dad bods (and dance moves), no one is going to question why us Dads adore this earworm as much as we do. 'Turn It Up, Bitch' turns the focus to the rap side of the band's sound with a funky Sam Rivers bassline repeated throughout and Fred's iconic word spitting coming at you like a straight line of bees and covering everything from the music scene's perception of LP being nu-metal one hit wonders (umm they had a few from my count, haters), Halo's Master Chief and a red headed ranga with a gun. You thought 'Dad Vibes' was an earworm? Just wait until you give this a few spins. It doesn't open up to a heavy breakdown (which I was anticipating), but it's perfect in its own nostalgic kind of way. 'Don't Change' sees the band tackling the INXS classic (much like the same vein as their 'Behind Blue Eyes' cover) with a slowed down acoustic/ballasesque rendition that has a full focus on Fred Durst's clean singing abilities. Coming from a generation that witnessed Grinspoon absolutely nail a cover of this Aussie classic, this one falls flat in comparison for me, sadly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQV-wk3tW3k
'You Bring Out The Worst In Me' teases us with some heaviness throughout, but for the most part it's an atmospheric slow-jam that will either be skippable (if you're chasing some upbeat anthems), or something you vibe too when you're laying back on the couch. 'Love The Hate' continues the slow-jam feel and features Fred taking the vocal roles of two friends (I think) talking about their dislike of Limp Bizkit. The skit song feels like conversations most of us may have had at some point when trying to hide our love for the band when meeting new people, but when the chorus opens up - the boys take the spotlight and say 'jokes on you / you missed one clue (we don't give a fuck) / so what I see / you always do' reiterating they don't give a fuck about the hate they receive and turn the mirror around to those haters who always seem to know what they're doing. When I first heard 'Barnacle' all I could think of was "OMFG THIS SOUNDS LIKE OCEAN GROVE" - which means our Aussie nu-metal revivalists are even tapping into a sound that the GOATS of the genre aren't afraid to dabble in. However, when focusing on the lyrics though, it seems like a diss for those who try and hang off the band's success!? With a repeating verse of 'you rub my patience / I've lost my patience / you suck on everything / you fuck up everything' that leads into a repetitive chorus of 'I know you cannot see / beyond the nose, on your face, / you're clinging on its misery / barnacle get off of meeeee', I can't help but think they band are sending a message to those trying to emulate them? Right? Give it a spin and let me know what you think!
The acoustic guitars are back for the short, emotion driven song 'Empty Hole' that's just basically Fred singing about needing someone who isn't there for him. If you've put effort into someone who can't give you the same in return, you're gonna sway towards this one as you can actually feel the heartbreak in Durst's performance. 'Pill Popper' takes aim at the pharmaceutical industry and how it doesn't create cures, but more so customers out of everyday people. With a small disclaimer dropping truth bombs at the opening of the track, the boys are back with the heaviness in this nu-metal meets grunge offering that's got plenty of yells, Wes Borland's jolting riffs and John Otto bashing away on the kit. This song further directs its attention towards prescription pill addiction and how it works for some users with Fred singing 'Pills give me a smile / a smile so genuine / but the thrill only lasts a while / so I'll pop me a pill again' and as someone who unfortunately is taking Prozac to help with his own mental health issues, I can see how this song is going to make a lot of us feel differently about the industry that is creating drones out of our once normal selves. Does this song slap? Why yes, yes it does. Thought-provoking lyrical content and a heavy backing sound - this is dope Limp Bizkit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RqiBrVcYXI
'Snacky Poo' takes a hilarious aim at the way musicians use social media and the craving for attention and verification that comes with it. The band bring a hip-hop beat to this one with catchy as fuck lyrics like 'Everybody got a mic / chasing all they can to get another like / I don't need another mother fucker in my life / looking at my life / giving me a like' that'll have you singing along in no time. The song ends with a Wes Borland skit involving him taking part in an interview with an over the top radio jock asking your a-typical over asked questions that result in Wes giving "yes" responses for each question slung at him. It's a tongue-in-cheek stab at interviewers who ask boring, stale questions that do nothing to continue the narrative for the band and may explain why they don't take part in many interviews these days.
As someone who can't stand when interviewers don't do research and ask basic shit like this (mainly commercial radio jocks who have no investment to the musicians they're chatting with), I couldn't help but laugh when this came on.
'Goodbye' with its guitar strums and maracas shaking in the background - instantly transports me back to the late 90s with a sound akin to that of Sugar Ray. It's a song about letting go of someone holding you back, and a farewell to the negative feelings associated with that person. I don't know what the band were trying to accomplish with this one, but with the ups and downs that still sucks took us on, it was a disappointing way to finish off the album that we've been waiting so long for.
In closing, Limp Bizkit's highly anticipated return has been spoken about for the better part of the past decade and now that its here, I'm torn with how this album presents itself. On one hand they're still nailing the nu-metal sound that they were pioneers of back in the day, they've still got the angst, aggression and attitude we know and love them for, but then they go acoustic or slow things down and just lose all the momentum they had going for them. As far as comebacks go, Still Sucks showed signs of what Limp Bizkit do so well in the heavier side of music, but for me, they fell flat with some of the melodic aspects that they've managed to pull off so well in the past (e.g. with 2003's Results May Vary). Stick to the heavier hits (much like their back catalogue) and you'll be fine though.
Limp Bizkit - Still Sucks tracklisting
1. Out Of Style
2. Dirty Rotten Bizkit
3. Dad Vibes
4. Turn It Up, Bitch
5. Don’t Change
6. You Bring Ou The Worst In Me
7. Love The Hate
8. Barnacle
9. Empty Hole
10. Pill Popper
11. Snacky Poo
12. Goodbye
Rating: 7.5/10
Still Sucks is out now. Stream here
Review by Paul ‘Browny’ Brown @brownypaul
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