F5

Yes, F5 is Dave Ellefson's band and no, "A Drug for All Seasons" sounds nothing like MEGADETH. Fans of the Mustaine Machine that have little to no interest in anything "non-DETH" will not find much to like on this one. So let's move on.

"A Drug for All Seasons" is a modern hard rock album with radio-friendly tunes, and a beefy production that thickens the riffs and gives the drums a lot of punch. The guitar tone, chunky guitars, taut rhythm section, and Dale Steele's vocal style (he's got a strong set of pipes) possess more than a few similarities to SEVENDUST, at least on half the album. A few songs are of above-average quality from a songwriting standpoint and, with one exception, the rest is mediocre and forgettable. Lest anyone runs into difficulty when confronted with the English language, none of what's contained in the preceding sentence means F5 is a bad album. I enjoyed most of it, even if none of it blew me away.

The best tunes are "Faded", "Dissidence", and "Fall to Me", if only because they've got the biggest hooks. "Faded" in particular is worthy of repeat listens. The title track is familiar sounding and predictable, the pop stimulation wearing off shortly after it's finished. The cover of EDIE BRICKELL AND NEW BOHEMIANS' "What I Am" fails miserably because of the song's inability to work as a riff-heavy rock tune on the chorus (the verse sticks fairly close to the original). Everything else falls into the "OK" category. The disc also includes a 10-minute bonus video of the band at work in the studio that's worth watching.

Folks that don't venture outside of the confines of FM rock radio will probably eat this up. I find that it's a competent hard rock album with a few noteworthy tunes. It will not "set the world on fire" though (sorry, couldn't help myself).