16. March 2025
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The Offspring – Let The Bad Times Roll

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

The Offspring - Let The Bad Times Roll

The Offspring - Let The Bad Times Roll
4.1

Rating

 4.1/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Powerful The Offspring sound
  • Some surprising songs / elements

Without a doubt, The Offspring are one of the most famous US punk rock bands. The last album release from the California band is already nine years ago. In February, the band announced to release Let The Bad Times Roll, their tenth album overall. I have really been curious about.

 

The Offspring – About The Artists

The Offspring has been founded in Orange County, South of Los Angeles, in 1984. At that point of time, the four founding members called themselves Manic Subsidal. Two years later Bryan “Dexter” Holland, Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman, James Lilja and Greg Kriesel renamed to The Offspring. “Dexter” and “Noodles” are still part of the band, which is now completed by Pete Parada and Todd Morse. In 1989, the band released their first album – but the self-titled long-player just sold a few thousand units at the time of release. The second album, Ignition, is in the funny situation to have never been to the US charts, but it still gained a golden record due to late sales. The breakthrough of the band was the single Self Esteem in 1994, which also boosted the corresponding album Smash in the same year. Impressingly, the album has a six time platinum status in their home country. But it was a huge success in many other markets.

In 1998, Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) has been another single which drove an album, Americana to international top positions. Even though sales decreased thereafter, any of the studio albums released since then can be seen as a commercial success.

 

The Offspring – Let The Bad Times Roll – Track by Track

The twelve track album lasts 33 minutes.

1. This Is Not Utopia

The riffs, the vocals, the sound – damn, that all sounds so damn familiar from the very first second. This Is Not Utopia feels like a good old friend you haven’t seen for nine years. You just explore his good character again. Lovely start.

2. Let The Bad Times Roll

The title track has been released before the album, The song has a punk touch, but also feels comparably pop-ish. The song is very critical about the current social and political environment.

Mexicans and blacks and Jews
Got it all figured out for you
Gonna build a wall let you decide
Apathy or suicide
Oh baby let the bad times roll
Let the bad times roll

You just don’t make it not to listen to it, it is just too catchy.

3. Behind Your Walls

The album started with two great and catching songs – and thus, Behind Your Walls just has a tough time. The song is a good one, but it just features less catching elements. I for example like the way the differently sounding vocals are arranged. Sometimes you feel you are in a Scorpions track right before Dexter’s vocals suck you back into the world of legendary punk rockers in the mid-50’s.

4. Army Of One

Army Of One starts powerful with some hard guitar riffs. Unfortunately, the song is featuring too many different layers and feels too fussy finally. Bad luck after a promising start.

5. Breaking These Bones

This time, it is Pete Parada on the drums, who is opening the song – and he definitely deserves it. The 47 year-old master of the The Offspring rhythm machine has a difficult task in this speedy 2:46 minute punk rock song. Again, I feel that the song has even more potential, but it could be a fun one for the next tour.

6. Coming For You

This one feels familiar to you? You might be right – Coming For You has been released in 2015 already. It just had to wait for some years to find eleven brothers for a full album. The song is a classic The Offspring sound: a lot of punk and a bit of pop. The result: a really nice listen.

7. We Never Have Sex Anymore

No, you did not receive a faulty version of the album when you listen to the seventh track and listen to brass sounds. We Never Have Sex Anymore is really a funny fusion of rock and swing. I like these different sounds, different flavors on an album – and this track definitely is one to raise the level of entertainment.

8. In The Hall Of The Mountain King

For one minute, the album goes back to Norway, around 1875. The Offspring are quoting the famous I Dovregubbens Hall (or In The Hall Of The Mountain King in the English translation) by Edvard Grieg. The song was originally part of Peer Gynt, now it makes it into an US punk rock album. I really enjoy that Let The Bad Times Roll is offering these kind of surprises.

9. The Opioid Diaries

After this excursion to classic music, the album is going back to punk rock. The Opioid Diaries is a fun track, which will be a lot of fun for the audience when the band is in concert again.

10. Hassan Chop

It feels like The Offspring wants us to pogo at the end of the album (and thus stay in good memories). Hassan Chop is a compact 2:20 minute track, but comes with a lot rude guitar force and speed. You just have to move.

11. Gone Away Requiem

The Gone Away Requiem has a strong touch of the classic song Mad World to me. The song is nice ballad at the end of the album. Some party, but relax at the end – is that the way you should remember the album.

12. Lullaby

Good night, that lullaby references the title track again and finally closes the first The Offspring album after 33 minutes.

 

The Offspring – Let The Bad Times Roll – Spotify

Here is Let The Bad Times Roll:

 

The Offspring – Let The Bad Times Roll – My View

I feel that Let The Bad Times Roll comes with a lot of fun elements and is definitely better than Days Go Bye, which was rather bad rated in the critis. The album starts very, very promising and finally cannot keep it up completely – but hey, it is still a really good one!

 

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