If you were alive and even vaguely conscious in 2007, then you certainly remember Finger Eleven and their hit track “Paralyzer.”
Every rock radio station had this in their rotation and it was admittedly infectious. Bordering between radio-rock and pop, it’s easy to see why it gained the band popularity so quickly.
Following a ten-year hiatus after their 2015 LP, Five Crooked Lines, the band is now returning for their seventh studio album: Last Night On Earth.
Last Night On Earth (Better Noise Music) marks a decent enough return for a band mostly forgotten, but there isn’t much about it that makes it stand as something stellar or marks it as a “must hear” record.
“Adrenaline” kicks the album off and it’s fairly fun and accessible, but that’s sort of the full extent of what it contributes. It feels a lot like every other band of that era amalgamated into one thing. It is, however, a bit heavier than what I recall them being, and I gotta give them credit there.
While “Blue Sky Mystery” does have some decent riffs, it manages to feel like a Nickleback or Theory Of A Deadman outtake, which is not inherently a bad thing, if that happens to be your style.
With track three, “Cold Concrete,” we lean a little more into the pop sound, and I think it’s a little more suitable. I found myself enjoying this track quite a bit—it’s got good rhythm and a fun leading riff. This song was somewhat infectious, at least stacked against the first two tracks. The lyrics aren’t exactly incredible, but that’s not always a bad thing when delivered well enough. I could see this one getting airplay similar to “Paralyzer.”
“Lock Me Up” hits like a mid-2000s radio rock hit, but it lacks any edge. It’s not awful, but again, nothing here stands out as special.
Title track “The Last Night On Earth” slows things down with a gentle acoustic chord progression, and it works quite well. The simple progression and low vocals makes for a pretty solid track. So far, I’m finding that when the band steps away from their typical brand of sound, it suits them more.
“The Mountain” kicks off with a pretty nasty riff for radio-rock adjacent music, it feels big and cinematic in stature; but, feels like it falls short on its delivery. While it does feel big, it still feels empty, almost forced.
With the last half of the album commencing, everything just sort of feels stagnant, stale and overdone. It feels branded and forced, as much as I try to find something positive, I struggle to do so.
It’s not that it’s awful music or anything, it just doesn’t procure any special feelings or do anything that makes it stand out against every other radio-rock band of the last 20 years.
From here to the final track, the only notable song is “Wall Dogs,” and that’s because it manages to break away into something a little more ambient and stand-alone. It shakes off the air of commercial rock for something a little smoother with an open air.
While I hope and believe that long time fans of the band/genre might get something from this release, I personally found it a fairly hard and uninteresting listen.
The band that helped soundtrack 2007 is back and I find that quite rad. It just didn’t move me, and that’s just fine. Maybe it will move you?
Be sure to queue up Finger Eleven’s Last Night On Earth—tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 7–and find out for yourself!
Rating
1.9/5
Favorite Tracks
“Wall Dogs”
“Cold Concrete”
Get Album
https://fingereleven.lnk.to/lnoe
Tracklist
1. Adrenaline
2. Blue Sky Mystery (feat. Filter)
3. Cold Concrete
4. Lock Me Up
6. The Mountain
7. Perfect Effigy
8. Wall Dogs
9. Laughing at the Storm
10. Body and Mind
11. Blue Sky Mystery
Connect With Finger Eleven
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM
YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC
Band Photo: Myles Erfurth
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