Saving Abel – Saving Abel
Virgin Records (3/11/08)
Hard rock / Alternative / Post-grunge
It’s pretty easy to sum up Saving Abel’s new album: plain and simple, straight-ahead rock.
The band could draw comparisons to everyone from Mötley Crüe to Buckcherry to Nickelback to 3 Doors Down—the riffs are lush, the song structure simple, and the mood fun and, well, rocking.
The self-titled debut shoots out of the gate with “New Tattoo”, full of screaming guitars, crushing bass and explosive drumming. Sure, it may not be rocket science, but the band is tight and smart (in song structure and lyrics), and is crafting some fun rock music. Just take a look at a band like Puddle of Mudd; it’s obviously not as easy as some people make it look, and Saving Abel makes it look easy.
The slow-build approach of “Addicted” is earning the band tons of modern-rock radio airtime at the moment, and while the song might be a good introduction to mainstream music fans (it’s not too loud and catchy as hell), it’s far from the best Saving Abel has to offer (the single sounds a little too much like 3 Doors Down).
Instead, check out the desperation in “She Got Over Me”, the fantastic lyrics on “Drowning (Face Down)”, the pure rock fury of “Beautiful You”, the killer solos on “In God’s Eyes” or the more mellow “18 Days”, which borders on but never quite falls into ballad territory. Or, if a ballad’s what you’re in the mood for, “Beautiful Day” might be more your style.
The only problem on here is that the band doesn’t quite vary the approach up enough to prevent things from almost starting to sound the same. But the album clocks in at just over 40 minutes and the styles are varied enough to prevent the proceedings from becoming a complete bore. It might not be an issue with the band as much as the genre in general, especially if a band wants to stick to the genre as opposed to taking too many out-of-left-field chances.
In the end, Saving Abel has crafted a solid rock album to act as a nice debut offering.
