Drowning Pool – “Resilience”

Described as their “most focused, fiery and fierce” effort to date, Resilience is the fifth album from US rockers Drowning Pool, and first to feature new frontman Jasen Moreno. Resilience sees the band make their intentions clear right from the get-go with the pounding, defiant opener “Anytime Anyplace”. It’s this confrontational, focused theme that runs through the course of early tracks like “Die For Nothing” and the anthemic “One Finger And A Fist”.

So, what about Moreno then? Have the Pool found their man after ten years of searching? Well, on the evidence of live performances and his booming, brawling work on tracks like “Saturday Night”, it would seem that Moreno has well and truly made this is home.

Anthemic, fist-pounding yet radio-friendly American rock is what Resilience is all about. Tracks like “Understand” may have that hook that will send the song flying up the alternative rock/metal charts but, underneath that, there is a tension and bubbling fury that will hook in those who like their American rock to be a bit more ballsy than a lot of the commercial American radio-metal.

Of course it wouldn’t be an American hard rock album without the obligatory ballad and Resilience doesn’t disappoint with the fairly predictable “In Memory Of”, a track which may run through every cliché in the rock book, but does show there is more to the voice of Moreno than just angsty hard rock.

On the downside, running in at thirteen tracks (and two bonus tracks), Resilience may be an impressive lesson in American radio rock but, towards the end, partly due to the way the band explode out of the gates early on, it does feel like more of an endurance test. This though, is something that could probably be fixed by dispensing with a track or two. On the plus side, when the band hit their stride (“One Finger and a Fist”), you’re listening to a group who, after ten years and a whole load of line-up changes, have found a new lease of life.

Track Listing:

01. Anytime Anyplace
02. Die For Nothing
03. One Finger and a Fist
04. Digging These Holes
05. Saturday Night
06. Low Crawl
07. Life of Misery
08. Broken Again
09. Understand
10. Bleed Wth You
11. Skip to the End
12. In Memory Of
13. Blindfold
14. Apathetic (Bonus Track)
15. One Way Prophecy (Bonus Track)

Running Time: ??:??
Release Date: April 9, 2013

Check out the song “Saturday Night”