Hollywood Undead
Five – BMG
It could have all gone horribly wrong for Hollywood Undead. Their rap rock hypermix isn’t something fans of either genre have found an easy listen but they are a band with songs that grow on you and they know how to put on a show. It’s their talent that has led them to become accepted and it’s that same talent along with new found maturity that sees latest offering Five the best record they’ve put out by some distance. There’s still that youthful swagger but now it’s more measured. The juvenile goofing around has been replaced by some Fall Out Boy smoothness which coupled with well worked changes of pace mean this is an album you’ll be happy to listen to all the way through. The production comes across as a bit thin particularly if you’re listening to Five on an mp3 player. Let’s face it most people who listen to Hollywood Undead aren’t going to have a state of the art sound system but they more than likely will be a champion skateboarder, so why not mix the damn thing for urban dudes instead of city slickers. The quality of writing is what really slaps you in the face here though despite the slightly off sound. Hollywood Undead may be ready to play with the big boys at long last. They might even become one in the near future.