It’s been a while since my last music review post, partially because life always seem to get in the damned. I know what you’re thinking, “This guy podcasts and blogs for a living!” Well, unless you start sharing with your friends and clicking on ads I still need a “9 to 5” job. That being said, I promise to start making more time, which shouldn’t be hard since I can’t go any where but to work, which is pretty slow right now. Anyway I digress and on to the review!

Those of you that know my personally know that I’ve always been a Pearl Jam fan, most don’t know the extent, but they’re one of my favorites of all time and I still think Ten might be the best album of the early 90’s, if not the best rock album in general. There was just something raw and gritty that sounded like nothing else before and since, which is what has always left me in a quandary. I like rock, mostly hard rock and metal. I have other tastes as well, but rock is always where my hear is. Which was a problem for me after Vitalogy.

While I generally enjoyed most Pearl Jam albums in general, most albums after Yield really weren’t hard rock anymore, maybe a few tracks but not all the way through. While Gigaton isn’t exactly Ten or Vitalogy, it’s definitely harder then most of the others and is a great example that Grunge isn’t dead, it’s just matured a bit.

I’m not sure what happened to the band in the last 6 years, but they seem re-invigorated on this album. (of course the worlds been in flux across the board so that may have a slight bit to do with it). Whatever it was, it worked and Gigaton is probably the best Pearl Jam album since the late 90’s.

Of course Pearl Jam has always been a band that stands firm with their politics, most grunge bands were, and Gigaton has plenty of lyrics telling you just how they fell, yet for me it was at least done in a way that I haven’t heard before.

Considering more than half the album are actually hard rocking songs, the points above the band is trying to convey comes through with a pounding sense of urgency and they sound great doing it. It’s probably the hardest rock album they’ve done since Vitalogy and while still reminding me of the old days you can tell the band has matured much. Whether its the fantastic guitar work on some of the tracks or Vedders vocals the whole band sounds as good as ever.

In the end for me, as a long time fan of the first 4 albums of Pearl Jam, this is finally a return to the form that made me a fan in the first place and I highly recommend it.

5/5 albums

-Johnny