Josh Freese

The Notorious One Man Orgy (Kung Fu)
by Scott Hefflon

Josh Freese is the drummer for the Vandals, former drummer for Devo, has pulled stints with G’N’R, Chris Cornell, A Perfect Circle, Mike Ness and many more, and is reputed to be one of the most sought-after drummers in the land… This is his first solo record. I have some serious problems with it, and it surprises me, seeing as this guy’s considered so top-notch. First off, the album is recorded really loud and kinda tinny and cheap. Second, the drums sound like shit – they sound like they’re overloading the mics and, well, it sounds horrible. Third, the guy can’t really sing. I mean, he can hit the notes (most of the time), but singers really oughtta be able to do more than that if they wanna stick around. And finally, the songwriting is pretty mundane.

While he skims the surface of a number of styles, any band in any of the styles he takes a jab at has done it much, much better. So why write a bunch of half-assed songs, record them poorly, insist on doing everything yourself when others can play and sing better than you, and slap your name on it hoping to attract people from your long list of reputable projects? I really don’t get it. I’d’ve skipped this candy-corn piece of shit if it were from some nobody, but the hype behind this guy is intense (and I can’t even count how many calls I got asking if I wanted to interview the guy), and this record is just plain bad.
(920 North Citrus Ave. Hollywood, CA 90038)