A Different Kind of Truth

It made me sad to think the legacy of Van Halen was going to be sour-noted by the horrible Balance and the even worse Gary Cherone debacle Van Halen III. While many have suggested that the latest reunion with OG vocalist David Lee Roth is just a way for the Van Halens (Eddie, Alex and Eddie’s son, Wolfgang) and Diamond Dave to cash in on a zillion-dollar arena jaunt (and it is), Van Halen needed to make A Different Kind of Truth simply to restore order in the rock-time continuum. Even a shitty DLR-fronted album is better than what we were left with in 1998. Thing is, it’s not shitty. Forgive “Tattoo,” an ill-advised first single that’s schmaltzy even by Roth standards. Half of the material has been resuscitated from the band’s old ’70s demos, which has some crying foul (those people deserve a DLR karate kick to the throat), but reheated Van Halen is still pretty tasty. Songs that will kick your ass: “Stay Frosty,” “As Is” and “Outta Space.” Most notable is the fact that Eddie’s guitar-slinging ways have fallen so out of vogue over the past two decades that they actually sound fresh and otherworldly again. And David Lee Roth? He’s fucking David Lee Roth.