Album Review: Weezer – Van Weezer (Crush Music/Atlantic Records)

Another Weezer album in 2021? What have we done to deserve such treats? Although Van Weezer was originally meant to come out last year to accompany the Hella Mega Tour with Green Day and Fall Out Boy. When that tour was postponed the legendary alt-rock band released OK Human instead and Van Weezer was pushed back.

As luck would have it, that tour has now been pushed to 2022 but we now have Van Weezer.

Weird name, right? Well, there’s a point to it. Whereas OK Human focused on orchestration, this one is Weezer paying tribute to heavy metal and hard rock from the yester-year. Hence the name, an obvious reference to the legendary Van Halen.

Dialling up the electric guitars, throwing the riffs about and smashing out groovy rockiness that is notably out of Weezer’s wheelhouse but is still clearly them. A lot of that coming from the band’s penchant for melody and the driving force of Cuomo’s vocals. Always a highlight of any Weezer record and that’s no different here.

Heavy metal… Weezer style so probably don’t expect mosh pits and wild bouts of head-banging to come from this. If you’re not a fan of the band already, this is unlikely to change your mind.

Weezer fans though, this is an album to fall into love with. Unmistakable but with a unique flavour, the opening first half gambit of The End of the Game, All the Good Ones, Hero, I Need Some of That and Beginning of the End are grin-inducing Weezer songs. Energy, pop-sensibilities, rocking fun and stupendous catchiness.

A reworked Ozzy Osbourne Crazy Train tribute in the form of Blue Dream is a bit confused sounding but still interesting. Whereas 1 More Hit is as close to a ‘metal’ anthem as you’re likely to get from Weezer and Sheila Can Do It is Weezer rocking out as only they can do. She’s not the only one who looks like she’s having fun.

Short and sweet, She Needs Me and Precious Metal Girl close out the album. The former, a classic pop-punk energy driven bit of bounce and the latter, a wonderfully sweet acoustic indie rock tune. Very much Weezer.

As stated at the start, this is not a heavy metal album as it seems to be being sold as. At best, it occasionally steps into hard rock but for the most part, this is Weezer rocking out and that’s never a band thing.

Weezer – Van Weezer Full Track Listing:

1. The End of the Game
2. All the Good Ones
3. Hero
4. I Need Some of That
5. Beginning of the End
6. Blue Dream
7. 1 More Hit
8. Sheila Can Do It
9. She Needs Me
10. Precious Metal Girl

Links

Website | Spotify