The New American Head Charge Album is… Really Good???

I was as much a skeptic of the American Head Charge reunion as anyone; band not that many people cared about getting back together will probably make shitty music even less people care about.

But when I’m wrong I’m wrong, and I’ll happily eat a big, heaping bowl of dicks right now: the new American Head Charge album is good. Like, actually really good. And this coming from a guy who’s never dug an American Head Charge song in his life. The first single wasn’t a fluke… I’ve listened to the album several times through now and yup, it’s good!

If you weren’t yet of music-listening age between 1995 and 2005 this album’s appeal will probably be lost on you. Yeah, American Head Charge came up in the nu-metal era, and that still forms the basis of their sound. But it’s the motion of the ocean, not the size of the wave… nu-metal was never inherently bad, it just allowed scores of sub-par bands to get by on bullshit image and shenanigans. Tango Umbrella falls victim to none of those things; the songs are memorable, the riffs tight, and while the players in American Head Charge certainly aren’t flashy their performance here has enough nuance and detail to keep things interesting. Limp Bizkit, Korn or Mushroomhead this is not… think more Deftones or Sevendust in approach, dynamics and complexity (independent of the fact that Cameron Heacock’s vocals have an air of Chino about them).

So, check out Tango Umbrella below via Loudwire and see what you think. Stick with it for a few songs and see where you end up. It comes out Friday, March 25th via Napalm Records and can be ordered here.