This review covers the hard rock track Van Halen – Poundcake.
This track was released in 1991 on the album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.
The track starts off with a power drill like guitar riff. After this, the drum kit comes in along with the bass guitar. The vocals make a brief appearance.
After this, the vocals start the track off with a verse. Some of the vocals ping pong between vocals and guitar riffs. After this, the vocals drop out for a moment before coming back.
After an extensive lyrical section, the guitars take over for a solo with a sprinkling of lyrics. The vocals then come back. There is a brief acoustic guitar element before the vocals come back. After some extensive vocals, the main chorus, I think, makes a return. From there, the track then fades out.
So, I am aware that Van Halen has a very big following, but for us, this is our first impression of this band. Considering the hype surrounding this band, this track is a pretty big flop.
For one, the vocals get a bit drowned out in the guitars and drum kit. As a result, it can be very hard to even understand half the lyrics.
Another problem with this track is that it just seems to wander around aimlessly. The main chorus is very hard to pick out in the mess of drowning lyrics and random riffs throughout. In fact, it’s not even distinct from the verses by any means. So, it’s a jumbled mess in the end.
Sometimes, the guitars do sound pretty good. Unfortunately, because of the audio jumble that is this track, any good parts end up being like landmarks whizzing by while staring out through a train window. It’s there, then it’s gone.
Overall, this is definitely a bad first impression for such a well known band name. The track meanders through aimlessly in a jumbled mess of sound. It’s so hard to follow, I can hardly identify where the main chorus is for the most part. The lyrics are drowned out by the guitars and drum kit. For a few fleeting moments, the guitars do sound decent, but that’s about it. A barely passable track if you ask me.
Score
5/10
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Google+.
