Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways | Album Review

Beloved rock band Foo Fighters have bounced back into our lives, presenting us with their eighth album; 'Sonic Highways'. Expectations were high following the release of single 'Something From Nothing.' It's a powerful and energetic song with an essence of their older output. However what follows on the album's entirety is sure to leave listeners feeling lacklustre.

Foo Fighters are a distinct sounding band who always release consistently great music. Plus when your front man is Dave Grohl, A.K.A. The nicest man in rock 'n' roll, then you can't go wrong. But it seems with 'Sonic Highways' the Foos have lost their edge and have attempted to play it too safe, which is a huge risk for a band renowned for their uniqueness.

The first two songs are by far the strongest and most exciting. Previously mentioned 'Something From Nothing' has that raw sound and is reminiscent of 'The Pretender' with its clean start and sudden transition into a full-on brawl. 'The Feast and The Famine' is also a classic example of Foos maintaining their edge and making an impact with their jagged rhythms and screeching guitars, as most recently demonstrated on their 2011 album 'Wasting Light.'

As soon as you continue to listen to the rest of the album you can't help but feel underwhelmed. It is fair to say that the Foos were being incredibly ambitious, which is applaudable. However when each song sounds mundane and similar then you wish that they stuck to what they do best. There is also too much of a focus on softer, slower tracks, such as the repetitive 'What Did I Do?/God As My Witness' and the never-ending 'I Am A River.' If the tracks were more concise and slightly varied then the Foo Fighters would have a decent album. To his credit, Grohl's voice is still as strong as the start of his career and he provides a glimmer of hope to an album that needs saving. It might be a grower in time but for now it doesn't live up to the incredible 'Wasting Light.'

5 out of 10