Rap-rock band Hollywood Undead released their sophomore album American Tragedy on April 5. While their first album Swan Songs focused more on partying and producing catchy choruses, American Tragedy is a much darker and heavier work.
Swan Songs introduced Hollywood Undead as a rap-rock group that wore hockey masks and used rap names rather than real ones. One of the members would do the singing, while the others rapped over him (think a more techno version of Linkin Park minus Chester Bennington’s screaming).
If you’re a Hollywood Undead fan, you’ll love American Tragedy. As for people who didn’t care for Swan Songs, you’ll probably still love American Tragedy. The normal version is made up of fourteen songs and runs over fifty minutes. If you choose to get the deluxe version, there are four more songs, and the iTunes bonus versions add even more to that.
American Tragedy starts out with “Been to Hell,” a forceful and at times abrasive song that seems more negative than anything else. I was a bit concerned that the rest of the album would be along these lines. Swan Songs had been hilarious in lyrical content and “Been to Hell” was a little too cynical for that.
But while American Tragedy isn’t a repeat of their first album (a good thing), it is an extremely strong sophomore release. The next track is “Apologize.” With it comes the clever wordplay with which I associate Hollywood Undead.
“Apologize” is a direct “f— you” to critics. “We don’t apologize. That’s just the way it is. But we can harmonize. Even if we sound like s—.”
The melody, meanwhile is probably the most synthesized of any on the album, with heavy techno influences. This just makes it seem funny. I have to admit, it’s entirely too catchy.
The next track is even stronger. “Comin’ in Hot” is one of my favorite songs on the album and the token party tune. It sounds like the spiritual successor to “No. 5” from Swan Songs. It’s even catchier than “Apologize,” and I predict will be on many a “drinking playlist” in the future.
After that, the album stays strong and continues to please. At times, the synthesizer seems a little too heavy handed, but it succeeds more often than not.
“Coming Back Down” keeps the pace fast and the energy high, with a sadder song that features rapped verses and sung choruses – standard Hollywood Undead – over the melody.
This is followed by “Bullet,” an intense song about suicide. The lyrics are probably more depressing than most. The twist? It has a melody happier than many songs, an upbeat and almost peppy tempo that’s completely at odds with lyrics like,
“I never bought a suit before in my life. But when you go to meet God, you know you wanna look nice,” and, “A stomach full of pills didn’t work again. I’ll put a bullet in my head and I’m gone, gone, gone, gone.”
The final verse is different and is sung by what sounds like a little girl and adds to the “happy” melody, but with the previous lyrics it just makes it even sadder. “I wish that I could fly way up in the sky, like a bird so high. Oh, I might just try.” If “Comin’ in Hot” is a successor to “No. 5,” then this song is the successor to “My Black Dahlia.”
“Levitate” comes next and ends the depressing turn the album took. This song is about sex — plain and simple — and is another catchy song that seems a little techno heavy. The sung chorus sticks in one’s head, but don’t forget to check out the rapped verses. They change “Levitate” from a sex song to something a little darker and deeper (much like everything else on American Tragedy).
“Pour Me” is another strong song that is catchy on the surface, but lyrically sad. If “Comin’ in Hot” seems like a typical party song, then “Pour Me” is the lament of an alcoholic recognizing how far they’ve fallen.
If you got the deluxe version, you’ll enjoy “Lump Your Head.” Simply, this is about fighting and partying. It’ll be stuck in your head after one listen.
The last song on the deluxe version is “S.C.A.V.A.” and it’s as strong as they come. The rapping starts off and gradually builds in intensity. The chorus is catchy as ever, but the rapping steals the track. If you purchased the deluxe version, you won’t be disappointed; this is a chilling end to the album as a whole.
As it stands, American Tragedy is one of the best albums to hit the rock genre. Go for broke and get the deluxe version. You won’t regret it and it’s well worth the cash for the extra four songs. The only problem you may have with the album is choosing which catchy song to listen to on repeat.
4.5/5 Stars
If you liked this album, check out other Hollywood Undead works, as well as Linkin Park.
Richard Solomon can be reached at richard.solomon@spartans.ut.edu.
How is their song Levitate about sex???
Really good article/review! All of the comparisons are right on! It will be featured on my site.