The modern supergroup story is usually the same. Guy invites other guys to jam on record. Guys get along great. Guys decide their own groups are now defunct and that working together is a good idea. A poorly-named supergroup is born.
Stone Temple Pilots alums Dean DeLeo (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass) have hooked up with Filter singer Richard Patrick and newcomer Ray Luzier on drums for their eponymous debut, and like the other supergroups of the era (Audioslave and Velvet Revolver) it chooses to follow the musical styles of mid-’90s alternative rather than say anything new.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because STP created some of the best alt-rock of the ’90s, a psychedelic-pop-grunge pastiche that few bands since have tried to copy. The thing with Army of Anyone is that it sounds much like latter-day STP, not enough like Filter, and with no real personality of its own save for a few solid songs.
First single “Goodbye” is a Soundgarden ripoff despite the kinetic drumming and the catchy guitar hook. “Stop, Look And Listen” is swirling acoustic psychedelia that sounds great, a sequel to “Glide” from STP’s No. 4. “Ain’t Enough,” “A Better Place” and “Father Figure” also strongly recall Soundgarden, although they sound great as they play. “This Wasn’t Supposed To Happen” is an interesting closer, a moody acoustic ballad that glistens with hope and wall-of-sound atmospherics. Only “Father Figure” goes
Debut albums often sound like their influences, so I’ll give Army of Anyone the benefit of the doubt. There’s no questioning the pedigree on display, but these guys need to find their sound. One would expect Patrick to bring a little more of Filter’s electronica and metal leanings to the proceedings; a little attitude would have livened this up.
More disappointing is that the once-forward-looking artists of the 90s have resorted to rehashing their old sounds, and the sounds of others, instead of evolve into something better. Army of Anyone is less than the sum of its parts, a throwback to 1995 that hopefully is only a stepping stone to better things.
