VAN HALEN — Balance (review)

VAN HALEN — Balance album cover Album · 1995 · Hard Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
Negoba
Van Hagar Unraveling

After the strong showing of the Carnal Knowledge album and a solid greatest hits package, Van Halen seemed to have weathered the rise of grunge. To a degree, they were aging gracefully with "Right Now" sporting a more mature take on hedonist philosophy. The video was a huge success, the band was getting critical kudos, but something was rotting from the inside. My friend mocked during the concert we watched for the CK tour..."Sammy Hagar: Singer, Guitarist, Dancer, and Philosopher." The implication was that he did none of these well.

Eddie took his new look and new guitar from CK and gave us another helping for Balance. But he and Hagar were moving in different directions. While Eddie was battling his addictions (and failing) Hagar was still celebrating his (which he continues to do). Eddie would call "Amsterdam" one of the stupidest lyrics ever put on one of his riffs, and in general felt that Hagar was stagnant while he (at the time) was trying to find some new musical life. To a large extent, this was unsuccessful. Like many bands, Van Halen had heavier guitars, but they were less edgy, less in your face. Grunge had indeed taken its toll. This was the last gasp of a failing band. It wasn't awful at the time, but it's simply unremarkable now.

Bottom Line: Past their Prime
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Negative Music Hardcore Punk
HAUST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Every Sound Has A Color In The Valley Of Night Progressive Metal
NIGHT VERSES
Buy this album from MMA partners
Witches Burn Alive Stoner Metal
LOVE YOUR WITCH
Buy this album from MMA partners
I Doom Metal
KAPUTTH
Buy this album from MMA partners
Kingdom Of Guilt Metalcore
THE WARRING TRIAD
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

ScapeGoat Official Lyric Video
FIREFLAME
Bosh66· 2 days ago
FireFlame - The Last Ride (Official Video)
FIREFLAME
Bosh66· 2 days ago
Fervence - Hezekiah (Official Music Video)
FERVENCE
Bosh66· 2 days ago
Fervence - The Silent Wall
FERVENCE
Bosh66· 2 days ago
Fervence - Corrosion (Visualizer)
FERVENCE
Bosh66· 2 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed