Album Review: Drowing Pool – Full Circle

Besides the death of original lead singer, Dave Williams in August of 2002, not much has been said about the Dallas, TX metal band Drowning Pool. But the boys have been hard at work in the last five years, mostly with finding a suitable lead singer. Jason Jones was brought in to fill the void on Desensitized, but radio play was minimal and no one seemed to notice.

Soon after Desensitized failed to make the impact Sinner had three years prior, Drowning Pool brought Ryan McCabe into the action for Full Circle. Some may recognize the name or voice of McCabe, because he is formerly of the Chicago based metal band Soil. And believe me kids, McCabe does not disappoint in his new gig.

The album may pass as a typical metal album. Crunching guitars, thick drums, and a voice that can go from a growl to a shriek at the drop of a hat make Drowning Pool sound like anyone else. But Drowning Pool is too stylized and slick to get dragged in with everyone else. Simply put, their songs have hooks. Songs like ?Full Circle?, ?Reborn? and the juiced up Billy Idol cover of ?Rebel Yell? could blow up on hard rock radio with ease. In fact, this album has the potential to bring Drowning Pool to the front of the metal pack once again.

The only low point is the dreary ?Reason I?m Alive?. After following the Alice in Chains styled ?Reborn?, it just can?t stand on it?s two feet and take off. ?Paralyzed? is a low tempo tune, yet it works due to it?s incredibly grunge era sound. Which makes it apparent that Drowning Pool is throwing all influences into this record. Obvious metal influences such as Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin are apparent throughout. But plenty of songs have Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots stamped on the forehead. And we can?t forget ?Rebel Yell? closing out the album. Variety will help Drowning Pool tremendously.

Full Circle has great potential of attracting new fans, as well as retaining original fans from the ?90?s. Expect to hear several songs on your hard rock radio in the coming year. And do yourself a favor, pick this album up and crank it.

{Review by: Matthew Chesley}