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Amends
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Barnes and Noble
Amends
Current price: $28.99
Barnes and Noble
Amends
Current price: $28.99
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Before shooting to international fame with
, a young
sated his straightforward rock needs with the Phoenix-based '90s post-grunge outfit
. Two decades after they disbanded, plans were made to reunite for the 20th anniversary of their final album. However, those wishes never came to fruition, cut short by
's passing on July 20, 2017. After a period of grieving, founding member
, bassist
, and guitarist
entered the studio with producer
and a team of
's famous friends to re-record songs from 1994's
and 1997's
. The resulting collection,
, reveals a teenaged
on the cusp of superstardom, with his inimitable vocals presented in raw form. Heavily influenced by the style (and vocalists) of forebears
,
, and
also recalls the pain and power of early
and mid-period
, an emotive journey through
's psyche (and a precursor to anthems like "Crawling," "In the End," and "Numb"). While the original '90s tracks were no-frills rock blasts, the updated versions benefit from modernized production quality and the freshness of contributions by the guest musicians. As
howls and broods -- his nascent scream taking shape on tracks such as "Just Like Heroin" and "The Syndrome" --
's drums crash,
' riffs churn, and
' bass provides the grounding, weaving seamlessly together as if
was actually in the studio with them.
's
provides crunch on opener "Sickness," revamped with atmospheric production and haunting synth stabs reminiscent of
's gloomier material. Meanwhile,
and
transfer their distinctive guitar attack to the swirling protest anthem "B12,"
's takedown of corrupt American society that rings as true in 2020 as it did in the late '90s. While contributions by members of
buffer the project without distraction, one special guest makes a huge emotional impact. Providing backing vocals on the moving "Soul Song,"
's son
bridges generations, honoring his father's past and fulfilling a collaborative dream that unfortunately never transpired in person. Such moments make
a cathartic experience, reaching a peak on the piano- and string-backed "Morei Sky." Eerily prescient and utterly heartbreaking,
screams, "If I had a second chance/I'd make amends/Only to find myself/losing in the end." As with similar posthumous examinations of his lyrical cries for help with
, listeners can only wonder about
's intent. Rather than project meaning onto these decades-old lyrics,
ends the album with a voice recording. As the triumphant "Shouting Out" soars to a close,
tells a friend, "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...I love you and talk to you soon." It's a tearjerker of a conclusion, comforting listeners from the other side with a little bit of closure. A gift for those who loved
is a lovingly crafted tribute, adding a bittersweet chapter to his musical legacy that brings his past and present full-circle. ~ Neil Z. Yeung