ALBUM REVIEW: Hotel Kalifornia – Hollywood Undead
Never known to be sweet or small wallflowers, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD return to a jarring opening industrial alarm ringing out and a big smile on their faces – this is Hotel Kalifornia and you can take it or leave it from its unflinching preamble.
Proudly proclaiming from the early onset track Ruin My Life that “This is that party music / Club banger, no acoustic” we’re presented with a block party to the absolute max, something that HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD fans have come to expect but truthfully stands out a little from what lyrically otherwise is an LP dealing with serious themes and world politics.
From a five-piece citing personal influences as broad as SNOOP DOGG to PAUL MCCARTNEY, you’d expect nothing less than neck-break highlights like second single Wild In These Streets and instant classic fighting anthem Dangerous. They mesh well alongside the Californian low-fi esque beats of Hourglass, a track that echoes the feeling that every member of this band truly had their voice – and unique input – heard louder than ever before.
HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD are a band who always feel authentic and yet possess the unique ability to speak to multiple generations at once. Tracks such as the brilliant Alone At The Top and the outstanding Reclaim are superbly amplified through FUNNY MAN and J-DOG’s nuanced vocals, both fitting well in the wider modern audiences of today and staying true to the hallmarks we know and love.
Partly produced by Andrew Milgiore (known for work with the band’s current touring buddies PAPA ROACH) and Erik Ron (PANIC! AT THE DISCO) – the latter’s influence of which can be fully felt on Lion Eyes) – Hotel Kalifornia sees the rap gods push themselves lyrically and genre-hop more than ever with evidently a lot to say right now on some hard-hitting subjects. Clocking in at 14 tracks on an album is almost unheard of in 2022, but HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD are seasoned enough to produce 40 minutes of major killer and relatively no filler.
Bursting with massive riffs which are continually smashing between confident gripping lines like, “If it’s kill or be killed, you best be driving this hearse” alongside the 808s and processed beats the five-piece have made their name on, this feels like a confident stride towards a new and rejuvenated future for the band that gets even better with every consecutive listen. HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD are well versed and well decorated in exactly who they are with almost two decades under their belt, and Hotel Kalifornia may just be their most accomplished outing to date.
Rating: 8/10
Hotel Kalifornia is out now via BMG.
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