Buckcherry: Rock ‘N’ Roll (2015) Album Review

On August 21st, Buckcherry will release their seventh studio album, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and that’s exactly what it is, “a full-glass, overdose” of rock and roll.

Pre-order Buckcherry Rock ‘n’ Roll right here.

As a whole, the album has all the sexy swagger, catchy choruses, deep grooves, and memorable riffs that made Buckcherry’s career. At the same time, the band feels matured and more comfortable than ever before. And you’d think that a general lack of the raw intensity found on classics like “Lit Up” and “Crazy Bitch” would hurt the effort, but it doesn’t. Perhaps the band expunged those vulgar rock demons on their previous release, the Fuck EP.

Make no mistake, Rock ‘n’ Roll is a definite blues-based sleaze rock album full of high-energy tracks. “Bring it on Back” kicks of the album with heavy, classic riffs that should make you want to take a long ride into the sunset. Next up is “Tight Pants,” a sleazy party track with enough horn accompaniment to maybe attract some ska fans (not really). But the sex theme gets taken up a notch or two on “Wood” and “Sex Appeal.”

Buckcherry also explores their softer side on Rock ‘n’ Roll. With the sentimental lyrics and ballad-like melodies and instrumentations on tracks like “Wish to Carry On,” “The Feeling Never Dies,” “Cradle,” and “Rain’s Falling,” it’s clear that the band has other things on their mind than sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. Surprisingly, this is a good thing, as it makes for a very rich and diverse album that’s enjoyable to just put on repeat and let it play through several times.

The monster track falls smack dab in the middle of this 10-track, anthemic album, “The Madness.” It’s a traditional chugger, but it has dark tones and fairly dark lyrics about the duality of one’s personality. It might be the heaviest track on the album, and it should help listeners vent some demons.

The Verdict:

Rock ‘n’ Roll might show a matured Buckcherry, but they haven’t lost an inch of who they are. This is unmistakable Buckcherry, and if you’re a fan, you’ll love it. It might seem like a middle-of-the-road effort from the band, but they’re in a tricky spot in their career; if they go too over-the-top they could come off as cliche hasbeens, but if they tone it down too much, they risk becoming irrelevant. Rock ‘n’ Roll, following Fuck, is a very smart move.