Categories : Hard Rock + Metal, Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
 |
Rating: 2.5 / 5 Reviewer: Connor Turner |
I’m not sure who it was. Either it was Jesse Hughes or Josh Homme, potentially even both, but someone forgot that Eagles of Death Metal is Eagles of Death Metal, not The Rolling Stones from the Let it Bleed era.
Heart On fails on numerous occasions, because it forgets its calling in life. Eagles of Death Metal are your local sexy, smutty, balls to the wall, guilty pleasure of a dive bar that you’re almost embarrassed to admit that you frequent. Yet, on Heart On, it seems that Homme and Hughes are determined to move past this stereotype and on to a stronger more bluesy sound (including sing-a-long choruses). Songs like ‘Heart On, (I Used to Couldn’t Dance),’ ‘Tight Pants’ and ‘Now I’m a Fool’ are almost identically matched with classics from the Stones’ library. Unfortunately the issue with this shift is that tracks such as ‘Wannabe in L.A.’ and ‘Secret Plans’ remind you why you fell in love with Eagles of Death Metal in the first place. They’re ripe with that high octane, sultry taste that leaves you wanting more.
The formula for kitschy bands like Eagles of Death Metal and Danko Jones is embedded in their unadulterated fun. The problem with this being that it pigeon holes bands into a single genre. When they attempt to deviate from that path, the results can be extremely disappointing.
There are flashes of Eagles of Death Metal’s brilliant fun on Heart On, but they are few and far between. If Hughes and Homme can rekindle the formula which made them such a breath of fresh air, Eagles of Death Metal will be a joy to listen to again. But in the mean time take a pass on Heart On and wait for their next release.
