Duff McKagen’s Loaded : The Taking
by Derric Miller
Staff Writer
With the obscene amount of success Duff McKagen has experienced in his career — with both GNR and Velvet Revolver — it seems only fair that Duff McKagen’s Loaded is just good, but not genre-defining. And maybe that’s all he is going for anymore …
Like Dave Grohl stepping out from behind the drum kit and handling lead vocals and rhythm guitar, McKagen forfeits bass duties in Loaded, instead playing rhythm guitar and also manning the mic on the band’s third studio album, The Taking. Opening with the noisy and ridiculously catchy “Lords of Abaddon,” you will feel where this album is going to take you, and that’s on a caustic, Punk-edged and repetitive journey all the way through.
The first single, “Dead Skin,” is the band’s best attempt at a hit, perhaps next to “We Win.” The great thing about “Dead Skin” is the honesty and anger Duff sings with. Although he is limited as a vocalist (but certainly no more so than Scott Weiland) this is one of the songs that captures both his attitude and the melody he can bring to the forefront. The chorus, “You peel off all that dead skin … you can leave it all behind” makes it one of those “Phoenix from the ashes” songs, refusing to give up when life clubs you like a baby seal over and over again. It’s a perfect Hard Rock song.
“We Win” is a tad more cheesy, although some may hear it as uplifting. After the acidic opening tracks, hearing the repetitive “We win, we win, we win, and we win” numerous times in the track becomes either grating or jarring, depending on your vocabulary.
For sheer fun, “She’s An Anchor” needs to be heard. Duff channels the ‘80s pop music scene here on the verses, although the chorus gets back to a dirtier grind. It’s almost like the weirder Loaded gets, the better they are. Whether that holds true across the board remains to be seen, but this is right up there with “Dead Skin” as the best track on The Taken. Just listen to the quirky guitar solo; it must have been a hell of a lot of fun to write this track.
This is far from a pop Rock album, though, in case you are confused. The song “King of the World” is almost unmelodic, just Punk riffing and unyielding pounding that never allows you to breathe. As you can guess by the title, “Follow Me to Hell” is another blazing, barb-wired composition that sees Duff shouting the lyrics in true Punk fashion. The weird rhythm on the choral lyrics, “Follow me to hell” is also cool as all get out.
It’s not like Duff has the ability to write a bad song; he’s written enough timeless ones or been part of those classic tracks enough that it’s sort of like Hugh Hefner picking up another young, gorgeous blond. No one is doubting you anymore, Duff and/or Hef, and no one is surprised when it happens. Loaded seems to be an outlet for the kind of music Duff likes to make, and you can hear it in every note the band plays and he sings.
Track Listing
01. Lords Of Abaddon
02. Executioner’s Song
03. Dead Skin
04. We Win
05. Easier Lying
06. She’s An Anchor
07. Wrecking Ball
08. King Of The World
09. Cocaine
10. Your Name
11. Follow Me To Hell
Band:
Duff McKagan – vocals and guitar
Mike Squires – lead guitar
Jeff Rouse – bass
Isaac Carpenter – drums
Label: Armoury Records
Genre: Hard Rock
Hardrock Haven Rating: 7.2/10