Depending on which type of rock you choose to live under, the stigmas and the press coverage that have surrounded Falling In Reverse frontman Ronnie Radke since his release from prison have become somewhat legendary. Legendary within the universe of Alternative Press and the Warped Tour scene, at the least.
Radke has become an anomaly due to his lead role in Escape the Fate, his arrest, imprisonment, and release. He has rather effortlessly used this to his advantage for garnering fame and attention. This does not make him a “bad person” but what he has done with his music career and controversy has turned him into a modern rock bad boy. He has embraced his fate and has marketed it to win over the all too impressionable scene.
All that to say, Falling In Reverse has made some ear and eye popping music. Their albums The Drug In Me Is You (2011) and 2013’s Fashionably Late have been very successful Billboard hitters, and have raked in the young fans to warped tour and club shows like moths to a flame. It seems everyone wants a piece of Radke and Co.
Now, the much hyped Just Like You is already gaining intense popularity. As I review it, I just want to warn any die-hard fans that I will most likely dislike this album and will probably be ripping it to shreds. This is not an attack on the people behind the music, as I am in absolutely no place to judge anyone, but rather just a judgment on…well whatever musical concoction Falling In Reverse has tickled our ears with this time.
Just Like You starts off with “Chemical Prisoner” a song that longs to be epic, but sounds like another spinoff of modern post punk rock that should give lots of credit to originals such as Sugarcult, Unwritten Law, and New Found Glory. You could sort of say that Falling In Reverse’s sound is their own, but also borrowed and somewhat unoriginal.
The single “God, If You Are Above…” is an admission that Radke is damned to hell. Within that admission is a plea to God, surrounded by fairly sub par music that seems to take little musicianship and effort to write and create. Nothing too overly special happening here, unless you are simply looking for easily accessible pop rock with a bad boy twist. Yes I will admit it has my head bobbing, but so does Katy Perry’s “Firework” – a recording I will never buy!
The third track “Sexy Drug” is Falling In Reverse’s sex drugs rock and roll anthem. Heavy on the sex part. A poppy and electronic infused number with lyrics that are definitely not safe for work. The first three tracks on Just Like You are diverse enough to tell apart, but they are still more of the same.
At the beginning of the title track, the world has the pleasure of hearing Radke admit he is an “asshole” – then he tells us that we all are as well. Yep, just listen to/watch the video (below). It is a self loathing song, but he is telling us that he is… “Just Like You.” So…there you go. Musically, you guessed it, more of the same; just a bit slower on the tempo with a catchy verse, some bubblegum Nananananana’s added to keep you locked in as you tweet about how cool – or mean – Radke is! Yes, he does end up calling everyone in the whole world an “asshole,” just so you are aware.
“Guillotine IV (the Final Chapter)” is Falling In Reverse’s poor attempt to make a metal song. The riff is very crappy, and if that is Radke screaming it sounds pretty lame. It is basically ripped right off of bands who actually make sub par metalcore/hardcore for a living. Doesn’t work for this pop rock outfit.“Stay Away” has a more interesting opening verse to start it off. It breaks into a Throwdown type of pre-chorus, and then goes right back into normalcy.
“Wait and See” is some sort of hip hop attempt. Is Radke rapping? I know that he has done this kind of thing before thanks to Coolio, but I am not so sure it works for this band. Kind of like how Fred Durst tried to sing. This is either their best song, or their worst. It is hard to tell because its so bad. It goes from a ‘rapcore’ thing all the way to a metal-R&B-emoish kind of thing. The lyrics are a string of vomited social commentaries about how stupid teenagers are, how social media is damaging us, how we need to open our eyes, and the end of the world. Extremely intelligent subject matter.
“The Bitter End” sounds exactly like Falling In Reverse’s other “metal” songs. So, like crap, especially when it breaks into the big shiny pop chorus. More of the same. I’m bored, except for that split second where it sounds like Dan Weyandt from Zao did a guest scream! At this point through Just Like You I just cannot help but think that I am sort of upset that there are this many bands that just borrow from so many others to create something that they think is new. I hear so many other blatant influences within this album. I mean, it is one thing to be influenced, and it is another thing entirely to rely on that influence to give you your end product.
Like how “My Heart’s To Blame” is a carbon copy of something that Sky Eats Airplane or We Came As Romans would do; and those two bands have perfected and honed that sound to be their style. They do not go back and forth between pop rock, rapcore, R&B, metal, and whatever.
The opening vocal for “Get Me Out” does not put Radke’s voice in a good light. His voice sounds wobbly as he attempts some sort of bravado. It is a mediocre pop punk song that Mark Hoppus might like, but it really is nothing new. Will probably be a single anyways, as the kids demand this type of stuff to be pumped into their ears. And why oh why is there a random metal breakdown in here?!
With “Die For You” coming in as the second to last track, I still have no idea if they are a metal band that plays poppy choruses, or vice versa. Frankly I do not care, but all in all they really could do without the hip hop attempts. This being Falling In Reverse’s third full length recording, you would expect more solidarity.
“Brother” is the last song on this thing, coming together with soft piano and voice. It is a sober song about Radke losing his brother, sung with pain and sorrow. Not a bad piece of music. Radke’s voice actually complements this type of song. Honestly this is the best moment on this record of conundrum, noise, and spitball lyrics. Sometimes, sadly, it takes tragedy for our modern artists to create their best pieces of art.
Now that we have survived this confusing genre defying train wreck, I still have no faith in Falling In Reverse to make an album that is solidly well crafted. It isn’t that this band is not talented; it is just that their choice of style is about as consistent as a schizophrenic Tasmanian devil with A.D.D. trying to follow his equally as disturbed older brother through the giant maze of endless trees and rocks. If this type of music is your bag, I would recommend listening to several bands that actually hold to all the styles and/or genres that are on display within this record. Or, check out some the bands that I mentioned earlier that have influenced Falling In Reverse.
Rating: 1.5/5