There are some good things about this album, such as the song "Viva La Gloria". Some of the songs have great hooks and the album is quite as heavy handed in it's message as it's predecessor. And Billie Joe seems as good as ever, sounding just like he has on every Green Day album. But the album still seems to suffer under the weight of it's own pretentiousness. The lyrics just don't seem to hit like they used to, feeling forced rather then natural. Almost as if they were trying to be intentionally controversial and heavy simply for the sake of being controversial and heavy. Also their sound just doesn't seem to have evolved to fit this style of music, so it seems hollow in the face of the epic production that is straining to evoke. I don't know when it became a fad as an older band to "mature" your sound but it seems we are presented with another victim of this trend.
If this had been another band I would have given this more leeway, but since it's Green Day there is a foundation and expectation that has been built. Normally in my eyes when a band has a greatest hits that tends to be the end of their career. And in this case it was the death of Green Day as we knew them and now we live in the wake of their reboot. If your a fan of the new sound then you'll probably love this album but if your an old fan like myself you may want to save your money and put in "Kerplunk" or something instead.
2 out of 5 stars And just for you my friend...."Wal-Mart fans aren't missing much either"
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