Art of Anarchy has been around since 2011 and this is only their third album. Granted, these guys have been busy with other projects, however, their biggest problem has been lead singers. They are now on their third album and third lead singer. It started with Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots, then it was Scott Stapp from Creed and now it is Jeff Scott Soto for their latest album, ‘Let There Be Anarchy’. Hmmm…did you notice a trend on the singers names????
And the fact they have had three lead singers, two of which have been sued by the band for lack of promotion, you start to wonder if the problem is the singers or the band. I personally think it is a combination of both because Weiland and Stapp are not known for being the most stable personalities, but I am sure the band had to play a role too. For me, the biggest problem with Art of Anarchy is that they have no sense of identity. Three albums, three very different sounds and nothing that makes them cohesive so you know it is the same band. No signature sound. And that my friends, bugs the crap out of me.
The band is full of talent as you have Tony Dickinson on bass, Jon Votta on guitar, Vince Votta on drums and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal on lead guitar. Their current singer is the only reason I bought the album as it is none other than Jeff Scott Soto (and if you notice at the bottom of the post, I’m a massive fan as I’ve done 86 posts on him to date). That is a lot of talent.
Now, their playing on the album is great, but the songs are so forgettable. Their two singles off the album, “Die Hard” and “Vilified” are both heavy, in your face pieces that lack any kind of hook or memorability and are forgotten as soon as they are done. That is pretty much the theme of this whole album for me. I do love the double kick drum pummeling on “Die Hard”, but that is about it. The music is so heavy, it seems like the vocals should be screaming, but Jeff’s vocals are too clean and don’t fit with the music. Not his fault, as he isn’t that type of a singer. And “Vilified” seems so self-important and is trying to be bigger than it is despite it sounding a little dark and eerie which I like. Great video though.
But it isn’t all bad. “Echo Your Madness” is more melodic and fits Jeff’s vocals much better. And that might be it as “Bridge of Tomorrow” feels like a slow motion walk through mud that gets sludgier with each step. “Writing on the Wall” is no different almost copy cat or Bridge. With “Rivals” it might be getting a little better as there are some cool guitar riffs and we are in Soto’s wheelhouse yet it is still forgettable.
“Blind’s Man Victory” is dark and heavy yet boring and dull at the same time. “Dying Days” has a ton of energy, but Jeff’s vocals just don’t fit with the music again. Though the chorus, he nails it. There is at least one more good song and that is “The Good, The Bad And The Insane”. I love the slight flamenco sound on the guitar, the wind blowing and as the music builds, it sounds really great. Might be my favorite song musically. As much as I love Jeff, I just don’t think he is a good fit with this band vocally as it is my least favorite part of the song. And thankfully we are to the final track “Disarray” (as this whole album has been). It goes out as poorly as it started. Another dull, song that is as forgettable as this whole album. I already forgot how each song goes and I’m not even done writing this review.
For me, this album was a painful listen. It felt like a chore to get through it which is why it took me a year to finally write about this one. Some albums get better with each listen, this is NOT one of them. I tried, I really did. I wanted to like because of Soto, but he couldn’t save this mess as he is not a good fit for this music. A band that has no Identity is also a tough band to buy in to. With musical chairs at the lead singer position, it is hard to get in to a band. The musicianship is great, there are some good solos, driving bass work and pounding drums, but the songs are not there. I don’t mean to be harsh, it is just such a bad album for me. Some people might like it and I hope you do. My Overall Score is a 2.0 out of 5.0 Stars and that might be too generous. But it isn’t the worst album Jeff has been a part of so I can’t score it lower.
THE JEFF SCOTT SOTO SERIES:
- Panther – ‘Panther’ (1986) – recorded in 1984
- Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force – ‘Rising Force’ (1984)
- Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force – ‘Marching Out’ (1985)
- Kuni – ‘Lookin’ For Action’ (1988)
- Kryst the Conqueror – ‘Deliver Us From Evil’ (1989) / ‘Soldiers of Light: The Complete Recordings (2019)
- Eyes – ‘Eyes’ (1990)
- Eyes – “Nobody Said It Was Easy” (1990) – 7″ Single – Bonus Edition
- Talisman – ‘Talisman’ (1990)
- Talisman – “I’ll Be Waiting” (1990) – 7″ Single – Bonus Edition
- Skrapp Mettle – ‘Sensitive’ (1991)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Eternal Prisoner’ (1992)
- Bakteria – ‘Deficate! Suffocate! Mutilate! Masturbate!’ (1992 / 2009)
- Eyes – ‘Windows of the Soul’ (1993)
- Talisman – ‘Genesis’ (1993)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘The Ballads’ (1993)
- Biker Mice From Mars – ‘Biker Mice From Mars (Soundtrack)’ (1993)
- Takara – ‘Eternal Faith’ (1993)
- Talisman – ‘5 Out Of 5 (Live in Japan)’ (1994)
- Talisman – ‘Humanimal’ (1994)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Between the Walls’ (1994)
- Gary Schutt – ‘Sentimetal’ (1994)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Love Parade’ (1994)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Made in Germany (Live)’ (1995)
- Takara – ‘Taste of Heaven’ (1995)
- Talisman – ‘Life’ (1995)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Black Moon Pyramid’ (1996)
- Human Clay – ‘Human Clay’ (1996)
- Talisman – ‘Best of’ (1996)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Magic’ (1997)
- Human Clay – ‘U4IA’ (1997)
- Boogie Knights – ‘Welcome to the Jungle Boogie’ (1997)
- Takara – ‘Blind in Paradise’ (1998)
- Talisman – ‘Truth’ (1998)
- ‘Rock Star: Music from the Motion Picture (Soundtrack)’ – Various Artists (2001)
- Humanimal – ‘Humanimal’ (2002)
- Humanimal – Find My Way Home: Limited Edition E.P. (2002)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Holding On E.P.’ (2002)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Prism’ (2002)
- Talisman – ‘Live at Sweden Rock Festival’ (2002)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘JSS Live at the Gods 2002’ (2003)
- Talisman – ‘Cats & Dogs’ (2003)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Believe in Me E.P.’ (2004
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Lost in the Translation’ (2004)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Live at the Queen Convention 2003’ (2004)
- Soul SirkUS – ‘World Play’ (2004/2005)
- Talisman – ‘Five Men Live’ (2005)
- Talisman – ‘World’s Best Kept Secret DVD (2005)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Essential Ballads’ (2006)
- Journey – ‘Live from Atlanta (Bootleg)’ (2006)
- Talisman – ‘7’ (2006)
- Talisman – The Albums Ranked Worst to First
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘B-Sides’ (2006)
- Redlist – ‘Ignorance’ (2007)
- Jeff Scott Soto – LA Rocks Demo / Vinnie Vincent Demo 1988 (2008)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Beautiful Mess’ (2009)
- Jeff Scott Soto – “21st Century” / “Gin & Tonic Sky” CD Single (2009) – Bonus Edition
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘One Night in Madrid’ (2009)
- Trans-Siberian Orchestra – ‘Night Castle’ (2009)
- W.E.T. – ‘W.E.T.’ (2009)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Live at Firefest 2008’ (2010)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Damage Control’ (2012)
- W.E.T. – ‘Rise Up’ (2013)
- W.E.T. – ‘One Live in Stockholm’ (2014)
- Jeff Scott Soto – The Authorized Biography (2014)
- SOTO – ‘Inside the Vertigo’ (2015)
- Joel Hoekstra’s 13 – Dying to Live (2015)
- SOTO – ‘Divak’ (2016)
- Sons of Apollo – ‘Psychotic Symphony’ (2017)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Retribution’ (2017)
- W.E.T. – ‘Earthrage’ (2018)
- SOTO – ‘Origami’ (2019)
- Sons of Apollo – ‘Live With the Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony’ (2019)
- Sons of Apollo – ‘MMXX’ (2020)
- Talisman – “Never Die (A Song For Marcel)” – 7″ Single (2020)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Live and Loud in Milan 2019’ (2020)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)’ (2020)
- SOTO – ‘Revision’ (2020)
- W.E.T. – ‘Retransmission’ (2021)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘The Duets Collection, Vol. 1’ (2021)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Complicated’ (2022)
- Jeff Scott Soto – The Solo Albums Ranked Worst to First
- Ellefson/Soto – ‘Vacation in the Underworld’ (2022)
- Slam – Slam (2023)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ALL THE ALBUMS Ranked Worst to First
- Jeff Scott Soto / Jason Bieler – Live In Concert (2022) – Bonus Edition
- Jeff Scotto Soto / Jason Bieler – Live in Concert (2023) – Bonus Edition
