Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 04/20/2004
Desensitized doesn't dwell directly on
Dave Williams' death. The fallen singer is remembered in the liners, and the band's search for the reason behind his untimely demise seems to drive tracks like
"This Life" and
"Numb." But for the most part
Drowning Pool's sophomore effort takes the band and new shouter
Jason "Gong" Jones to places they likely would've anyway. Instead of the blistering pummel of breakthrough hit
"Bodies," lead single
"Step Up" is a muscular
hard rock number with a bona fide hook -- it's closer to the midrange
rock hedonism of types like
Saliva or
Monster Magnet than anything on
Sinner. This makes sense, as the spooky and tuneless churn that typified turn-of-the-century active
rock has largely given in to rockers capable of both aggression and melody. There are still moments of gritty sludge on
Desensitized, amplified (or downtuned, rather) by producer
Johnny K, who helps give opener
"Think" a dirty sting similar to his work with
Disturbed. Late album entries
"Cast Me Aside" and
"Killin' Me" are better -- they cross a catchy,
"Bodies"-like groove with
Jones' guttural scream and thick, nearly
atonal distortion. But the rest of
Desensitized takes the relative tunefulness of
"Step Up" (and a hint of
Alice in Chains) as a guide, and delivers throaty, catchy
hard rock laced with metallic elements. Highlights include
"Bringing Me Down" and
"Love and War." All in all, a decent second album from a band that's persevered. Too bad about that porn star cover art, though -- it looks like the packaging for the stupidest
Seduction Cinema sexploitation film ever.
~Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
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