Van Halen

Van Halen III

Vocals don't fit, but songs and musicianship are damn good.

Review Score:

(6/10)
First, let me say that the main guitar riff to "Fire In The Hole" is a damn fine rock n' roll masterpiece. Having said that, this CD doesn't get as much playing time as the rest of my VH collection, but it certainly hasn't become a door stop. They tried something different, and it didn't work commercially. So what. I put off listening to it for years because the cover image made it look so cheap (and I still hate that cover), but I'm glad I finally gave in. I don't know what Cherone sounded like with his other studio recordings, but his voice sounded painful and unsettling on this. As a guitar player, I can't help but compare the sound of Cherone's voice on this CD to a cheap, cold digital tone as opposed to a warm analog one. I did, however, hear a bootleg recording of "Mean Street" that I believe was done during the VHIII tour, and Gary sounded great. What gives? I don't know, but had it not been for the sound of his voice I may have been able to give this cd a higher rating. Two songs really stand out to me and those are "Fire In The Hole" and "Year To The Day". The music, the song structure, the guitar playing... it all sounds excellent throughout the cd. Critics, fans, ... the line seems to be blurred these days. If it sounds good, it is good.

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