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Hoobastank
Fornever
Review By Andy Argyrakis
Having debuted right in the epicenter of the nu-metal movement, Hoobastank’s always had the tricky task of maintaining its familiar sound and moving forward with the times. Though the band’s certainly been able to shift for the sake of singles, it’s quickly fallen in the meat and potatoes rock category of 3 Doors Down and Nickelback to increasingly less critically satisfying degrees. The same can certainly be said of its first studio CD in three years, a bland attempt to stay popular at the expense of artistic innovation.
“Yesterday I’ve learned from/Tomorrow is uncertain/So why can’t I just/Make my turn today,” bellows front man Doug Robb like he’s trying out for the recently vacant spot as Fuel’s singer. Throw in a few stadium-sculpted guitar riffs, alongside glossy production from Howard Benson (All-American Rejects, Three Days Grace) and it’s about as contrived as the band’s previously popular breakthrough cut, “Crawling In the Dark.” The riffs are a little less predictable throughout “I Don’t Think I Love You,” with Robb’s melodic screams coming across with more convincing intensity, but there’s still nothing even remotely remarkable or outstanding about the endeavor. Fornever also follows the Hoobastank formula when it comes to monster ballads, with “So Close” providing just as much muscle and crunch as sap and trite lyrics (“We’re so close/Yet so far/It’s tearing me apart/What I would do to be back with you”). That tune, along with “You Should Be Here,” are cut from the same cookie as 2004’s smash single “The Reason,” though neither possess that track’s unavoidable catchiness. While the guys may have taken their time trying to give this disc a distinct direction, it presents merely lateral development that may produce a few hits for the moment but has very little lasting impact.
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