First Listen: Drowning Pool — Step Up

Things were only looking up for Drowning Pool in the summer of 2002.

The band was still heavily touring after the release of its debut album, “Sinner,” when, knee-deep in its second stint on Ozzfest (this time performing on the main stage), tragedy struck.

Lead singer Dave Williams was found dead in his bunk between tour stops — the cause: an undetected heart defect (cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disease).

The remaining band members spent the next few months trying to figure out the next step. Eventually deciding to soldier on, Drowning Pool began an extensive search for a new singer. The band also released the song “The Man Without Fear” on the Daredevil soundtrack with Rob Zombie on vocals.

Many that tried out for the vacant lead singer spot sounded eerily like Williams, but that wasn’t exactly what the band was looking for. In the end, it was ex-Built-XL frontman Jason “Gong” Jones that got the gig, and Drowning Pool was once again ready to make music.

The first offering from this new line-up, “Step Up,” comes off the upcoming Punisher soundtrack, due in store March 23.

So does “Step Up” match up to the band’s previous efforts?

Everything off of “Sinner” had a heavy, thick sound. And a majority of the songs sounded angry.

“Step Up” is a straight-up rock/metal track. And it sounds mean. Not angry, mean. The band feels retrofitted, like a throw back to early 90s metal (early Pantera or Skid Row), complete with guitar solos.

Jones� vocals at times have a hint of Williams to them, but also sound like a mix of John Bush (from Anthrax) and Max Cavelera (ex-Sepultura, Soulfly).

And, much like their hit “Bodies,” “Step Up” comes complete with a sing-a-long chorus, which is kind of nice for a lead off single as you can really get into the song on first or second listen without knowing ALL the lyrics.

Jonathan Widro is the owner and founder of Inside Pulse. Over a decade ago he burst onto the scene with a pro-WCW reporting style that earned him the nickname WCWidro. Check him out on Twitter for mostly inane non sequiturs