Music: Foo Fighters - In Your Honor (Disc One)

Dave Grohl is like Will Ferrell. Ferrell is convincing in any role, simply because you sense that he believes he is living in that character’s shoes. With Dave Grohl, the listener can tell that he feels every word he sings. In the hands of a lesser performer, his work would not be nearly as good. Such is the case on In Your Honor, the Foo Fighters’ new album. In case you haven’t heard, it’s a dual album with one disc of non-acoustic songs and one disc of acoustic songs.

In disc one, we get a generous helping of Grohl’s signature growling vocals, along with an abundance of grinding guitars and intense rhythms. The title track is first, and it starts off relatively quietly but builds into a hard-hitting finish that sets an aggressive tone for most of the album. The third track and current single, “Best of You”, eases up on the pace slightly, but for the most part the album grabs you by the face with the first track and shakes you until about track eight. The last three songs let up a bit, and they end the disc in a good way. It’s like a roller coaster that starts off high and fast, ends smoothly, and makes you want to ride again.

There’s not much in the way of guitar solos or stylish hooks here. This is Foo Fighters teaching the current music scene a “Rock 101” class. The highlight is Grohl’s vocal work, as he is guttural and brutal when he needs to be, like in “DOA” and “Hell”, but he knows when to call off the dogs, too, like in the catchy “Resolve”. But what reels me in the most is that I believe what he’s telling me. I believe that he’s a jaded lover in “The Last Song”. I believe that he’s held against his will when he screams, “Free me!” in the song of the same name.

The disc is a pleasure to listen to, as it is exhilarating and pulse pounding. If you’re not ready for it, however, it can be a bit exhausting, as the tempo doesn’t let you even get a breath in. There are very few weaknesses in this disc, but as a guitar aficionado, I might like to see a few solos. Disc One of In Your Honor showcases Dave Grohl’s talent wonderfully, but leaves most of the intricacies of instrumentals to the acoustic portion of the album. But if these are the worst things I can say about a rock album in 2005, I’m happy. And this one stands up against some of the better albums I’ve heard in quite some time.

Final score: 4.5 cents