Reviewing albums seems to be my new passion and the only thing that I am capable of producing at the moment so bear with me. This time I am here for a review of a short but surprisingly rich in terms of content and messages EP by the very diverse and unpredictable Hollywood Undead. Their EP Psalms came out on November 2nd, 2018 and I have been replaying it and itching to comment for a while so I might as well present you my short review.

Listen to Psalms here

If you are familiar with the work of the LA rap-rock/alternative formation you are well aware of the level of versatility, diversity, and high-quality music they are able to produce. Psalms is a short five-track collection of songs which came as a surprise at least for me and consisted of an even bigger surprise in terms of content. A good surprise.

When talking about the release Johnny Three Tears puts it plainly by saying:

…we try to convey messages of hope and with this project specifically, redemption. If I could speak to every individual who needs help, I would. But no one can do that, and that’s why we make the music we do. Hopefully, we can help someone with these songs. They have definitely helped us

Serious and thought-provoking topics are not something new for Hollywood Undead and I have to say it was a good move to focus on this aspect of their music and combine songs united purely by this concept in a separate EP. Looking back at the discography of the band you will spot songs of absolutely any type united under one album – from the above mentioned serious, existential topics (Bullet, Pour Me) through badass and provocative (Gangsta Sexy, Lights Out) all the way to hyper energizing party songs (Levitate, Comin’ In Hot). Despite their incredible and respectable agility and flexibility when it comes to different types of music Psalms is the first (quite successful) attempt of the band to focus on only one type of thematics for an entire record (even if it’s just an EP).

Now, when it comes to the serious subjects which we all contemplate about – the purpose of our existence, our internal struggles and exhausting mental battles with our own minds – the rap-rock veterans definitely know how to put things in an understandable and comforting way. Psalms does a great job of giving hope and encouraging us to keep on living and fighting our battles. The topics range from drug addiction struggles, regret all the way to fear and anxiety about the future. The five songs have the potential to make a great impact and are without a doubt incredibly empowering and reassuring.

To make their statement and transparency when it comes to those subjects, Hollywood Undead have put aside their masks for the first time since they have started making music. I personally see this as a message of openness and confession about their own struggles with the same issues and an attempt to tell listeners – “we are experiencing the same problems and if we can manage to fight them so can you”. Regardless, I think the content of Psalms is definitely on the spot and extremely relevant and relatable for most people. And the band did a great job conveying their message.

When it comes to the sound comments might as well be unnecessary. The quality standards of Hollywood Undead have been preserved and a delightful combination of super powerful and aggressive rock riffs and fast-paced killer rap verses are 100% present. Modern electronics and catchy beats are subtly mixed in with the rest to create a modern yet nostalgic nu metal sound. As usual, the members of the diverse group all make their memorable impact with strong and on-point verses – Danny‘s soothing voice, Jonny and J-Dog‘s specific and mildly aggressive rap verses and Charlie and Funnyman‘s adaptive singing. Psalms is a distinguishable Hollywood Undead record which you will never mistake and which will stick with you for quite some time. The good thing is it will most likely make you feel better about your insecurities and doubts about the future and give you just the right amount of hope to keep going.

Track By Track Commentary

Bloody Nose

The first song of the EP can be interpreted in several ways but a few things are certain – it is strong, it is aggressive, it is relevant. No matter how you look at it Bloody Nose is a song about drugs and it has an energetic modern rock instrumental all around it. Getting into the lyrics it gets deeper and deeper and makes you question the meaning of each line. It also features a really surprising but extremely enjoyable aggressive and angsty verses and screams by J-Dog which gives it an early (Swan Songs era) Hollywood Undead feel to it.

Live Fast Die Young

Live Fast Die Young is simply empowering and fills you up with the desire to go out and live your life to the fullest ignoring regret and overthinking. The soothing and comforting vocals by Danny and J-Dog together with the fitting instrumentals do their part in helping you stop for a second and think about the stereotypical modern attitude towards life. Lots of truth and thought-provoking verses are included to make this song worth looking into in detail.

Something To Believe

This track could best be defined as giving hope and courage and can even be classified anti-suicide in my humble opinion. The truth about life and everyday struggles is put simply and clearly without any filters or sugar coating. At the same time, clear vocals by Johnny Three Tears and Danny serve their purpose supremely well by giving hope and faith to listeners and encouraging us to live and enjoy life despite all the negative factors we might have around us.

Another Level

Having a similar vibe to Bloody Nose, Another Level sounds like an energizing party song of the first glance. It unites great beads and modern electronics with fast-paced rap in a fascinating way and similarly to other songs gets deeper and deeper in terms of lyrics the more you look into it.

Gotta Let Go

A very strong and impactful song, Gotta Let Go is a nostalgic look back in time. It deals with redemption and realizing that each mistake you make happens for a reason and shapes you into a better version of yourself. It also encourages people to focus on the good things instead of being consumed by negative and past mistakes. The song combines regret about past actions with anxiety and fear about the future in a really admirable way and it will without a doubt resonate with the majority of listeners. Emotional and relevant the song pushes us towards more positivity and forgiveness with uplifting and comforting instrumentals supporting the message to perfection.

I personally think Psalms is a great addition to the discography of the band and it came at the perfect time. Extremely heartfelt and relatable the songs from the album invoke hope and strength and successfully accomplish the goal of the band for sending a message of support and understanding towards their fans. The great instrumentals and modern rap-rock sound together with the sublime vocals only make the record better and more enjoyable.

Thanks a lot for reading this short review and don’t forget to give Psalms a listen in case you somehow missed out.

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