Drowning Pool-Full Circle

The death of a band member can have adverse effects on a band.When John Bonham died in 1980 Led Zeppelin was so distraught by his death that they broke up.For Drowning Pool,the death of Dave Williams just motivated them to continue on in his honor.Jason "Gong" James was brought in and Desensitized was released two years after Dave's death.The album was decent but Dave's presence was felt all over the album,especially in Jones's vocals.After Jones left citing personal and musical differences,former soil singer Ryan McCombs was brought in to try to get the band back on track.Full Circle is Drowning Pool's first album with their new singer.The album is in fact a more mature release from the quartet from Texas.Mots people would not put mature and Drowning Pool together but the band takes out steps to branch out musically.

Acoustic guitars are a huge part of the band's sound on Full Circle."Reborn" is a perfect example where the band implements acoustic guitars without sacrificing on the songs intensity.Of all the "Paralyzed" and "No More" use acoustic guitars best."Paralyzed" is a great ballad that uses acoustic guitars to represent a somber mood."Paralyzed" makes the previous Drowning Pool ballads look inferior."Upside Down" is one of the heaviest tracks in the album with one of the best solos on the album.A look into the songs cannot be finished without "Rebel Yell",the Billy Idol cover.The song is a bit heavier and it also has keyboards in it.The cover is a worthwhile listen.

The lyrics are all about relationships,rising against people and hatred of others.However,one song does stand out lyrically."Soldiers",deals with the troops overseas fighting for our freedom.Well the song is not about bashing the government or war.Its simply about what soldiers are fighting for:Us and our rights.The song is decent and lyrically it gets my respect.

Ryan McCombs however does a decent job on the vocals.He has an amazing vocal range which was absent in both Dave Williams and Jason James.Ryan McCombs hits notes ranging from growls to high pitched screams to melodic crooning.McCombs is a great fit for Drowning Pool.CJ Pierce does a great job on the guitars.His acoustic work is phenomenal and is the biggest surprise of the album.Who knew that the guitarist who played "Sinner" could pull of a guitar intro as is evident in "Paralyzed".Pierce's guitar playing is one of the biggest reasons for the maturity of the band's sound in Full Circle.Steve Benton and Mike Luce make way for a solid rhythm unit.Benton gets a chance to shine at the bass driven "Duet" while Luce gets some pounding double bass in at the end of the title track.

Full Circle is a great accomplishment for the band.Considering that this is the band's third album with their third singer,the band sounds full of energy.Most of the songs show the band continuing to mature their sound while retaining some of their elements that made them a huge hit(heavy and catchy riffs).While some people may complain that this album is not as heavy as Drowning Pool's previous releases,most people will welcome it with open arms.

Band:Drowning Pool
Album:Full Circle
Year:2007
Genre:Post-grunge,Alternative metal,Groove metal
Rating:8/10