Adelitas Way : Home School Valedictorian
by Mark Allen
Staff Writer
This sophomore effort from Adelitas Way is a musical Frankenstein, created by culling parts from other bands. You can hear the slamming riffs of Saliva, the pop-rock hooks of Papa Roach, the slithering melodies of Seether, the thumping aggression of Three Days Grace…you get the idea. Granted, not necessarily a bad mash-up, but it does mean Home School Valedictorian is about as original as the missionary position, so if you cling to the creed that all rock ‘n’ roll should be edgy and push the envelope, then you’ll no doubt consider this album a flunk out. However, if hooky radio rock hits are what makes your motor hum, then this album will quickly procure a place of prominence on your iPod or other preferred music-delivery system.
The wisdom of Adelitas Way is that while borrowing from other bands, they borrowed the best parts. You can criticize their cribbing, but bands have been stealing from each other since the first caveman banged two rocks together to make a beat. Every group is influenced by some other group, so scolding Adelitas Way for creating a whole out of the sum of their heroes’ parts may be a bit unfair. Better to simply sit back and enjoy the tasty concoction they have whipped up for our aural pleasure.
The polished production is straight-forward and gimmick-free, focusing more on the earnestness of the band than on studio trickery. This allows Adelitas Way to exude a more organic vibe than many of their contemporaries. Admittedly, the difference is slight and probably indiscernible to those unfamiliar with the modern rock genre, but producer Dave Bassett (who has worked with Shinedown and Halestorm) has applied a sonic edge to this album that subtly differs from the routine production rut.
There are no complaints to be lodged against any of the musicianship, but special props must be given to drummer Trevor Stafford. While the actual sound of his drums is nothing unique, his stick-wielding expertise is definitely a notch above, with his fills being particularly impressive. Not impressive in a flashy, Tommy Lee kind of way, but he definitely injects his own style into the beats and this is appreciated in a genre that far too often sees the skin-pounder content to simply kick back and do little more than maintain the basics.
Song variation is one of the album’s true strengths. No track sounds quite like the one that preceded it, and this too sets the band apart from a sizeable portion of the modern rock pack. Right out of the gate, “Collapse” gets things rolling with the kind of hard-hitting sound one has come to expect from this kind of band, but then the first single, “Sick,” ramps up the heaviness, only to follow that up with “Alive,” a catchy mid-tempo rocker. Then “Criticize” cranks some adrenalin through the amps before the album switches the pace up yet again with “Good Enough.” Next, perhaps fearful the head-bangers will become bored, the band barrels into “Cage the Beast,” easily the heaviest thing on the album. Two slower songs then allow a gentle descent from the heavy metal high before slamming things back into riff-raging high gear with “Move” and “I Wanna Be.” The album closes with the requisite—and well-crafted—power ballad “Hurt.” New bands could study this album to learn a thing or two about proper song sequencing, because Adelitas Way absolutely nailed the flow on this one.
Bottom line, Home School Valedictorian is a high-quality modern hard rock effort with more hooks than a Hellraiser movie. The “cutting edge” factor may be about as dangerous as a cardboard cobra, but the enjoyment factor is way up there. If the test given to Adelitas Way was to deliver a very good modern hard rock album, then they deserve to graduate with honors.
Genre: Modern hard rock
Band:
Rick DeJesus (lead vocals)
Robert Zackaryan (lead guitar)
Keith Wallan (rhythm guitar)
Derek Johnston (bass guitar)
Trevor Stafford (drums, percussion)
Track Listing
1. Collapse
2. Sick
3. Alive
4. Criticize
5. Good Enough
6. Cage the Beast
7. I Can Tell
8. Somebody Wishes They Were You
9. Move
10. I Wanna Be
11. Hurt
Label: Virgin Records
Hardrock Haven rating: 8.6/10