Hey I heard you missed them. They're back!!!

The day has come. It's officially here, not only the first VAN HALEN record since 1998's Van Halen IIIwith Gary Cherone on vocals fourteen years ago (they did include three new Sammy Hagar tracks on the Best Of Both Worlds greatest hits package in 2004 in order to lure Hagar back for a tour in support), but more, importantly, the first new VAN HALEN album with David Lee Roth at the helm since 1984's 1984. That's twenty-eight years ago folks!

There has been a lot of doubt about how this record would turn out, especially with reports that the initial sessions were scrapped. None of those doubts came from me, however. For starters, I thoroughly liked both “We Wise Magic” and “Can't Get This Stuff No More”, the new Roth-fronted tracks off of 1996's The Best Of Van Halen - Volume One. I have no clue what it is, but there is something about having Diamond Dave on vocals that makes Eddie Van Halen play guitar like VAN HALEN diehards want him to play guitar. The solos just take you somewhere, who knows where, but just on a journey of fun.

Now before going track-by-track, I want to acknowledge something. Hands down, I prefer David Lee Roth as the singer in VAN HALEN. That being said, the material the band released with Sammy Hagar happens to be very good (some even like the ill-fated Gary Cherone album). I just kind of think that “Van Hagar” should not have gone by the name VAN HALEN. David Lee Roth was such an integral part of the band to the point that he really couldn't be replaced. “Van Hagar” was a whole different animal and I, quite frankly, don't think the two should be compared. I'm not saying that to knock Sammy. Even if you love that stuff, even if you think Sammy's material is better, judge them separately for the beasts that they each are. And now onto my review of the new record.

Leading off this 49 minute, 58 second opus is the band's first single “Tattoo”. This is a reworking of an old demo from the 70's called “Down In Flames” and while I do like this song a whole lot more than most people that I have talked to since it's release a short time back, I think it is a weak opening. What I expected was some sort of a bombastic, fast-paced tune that would just grab your attention from the start and not let it go. This is not such a tune. Drummer Alex Van Halen's heavy beat is evident from the onset, as well as Eddie Van Halen's signature guitar sound. Next comes Roth's spoken lyrics, words that one could only say are 'classic Dave', but the song somewhat lingers until we get to Eddie's first solo of the record, and while we soon learn later on down the track list that it is not the best of what is soon to follow, it definitely makes you say "Eddie's back!”

Two interesting things to note: 1 - Eddie's son Wolfgang Van Halen, who has replaced original bassist Michael Anthony for ...Truth, his first recorded musical output, has not yet made any impact on this number, be it good, or bad. 2 - Not that anybody, but me, would care, but there is an interesting short bit of Eddie Van Halen trickery at the end of this song that is totally reminiscent of the opening notes of the band's Linda Ronstadt cover of “You're No Good” off of Van Halen II back in 1979.

Next up is “She's The Woman”, which some incorrectly thought was to be the leadoff single after it was played at the intimate industry-only gig the band played at Cafe Wha? in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village a month ago. As has been reported elsewhere, the song is dusted off from the original demos the band did for Gene Simmons back in 1976 that eventually led to them getting signed to Warner Brothers. I like the song. I don't like the chorus. It seems too simplistic to me, like other tunes of theirs from that era.

Many do not know that VAN HALEN has often used older tracks that had been lying around and incorporated them into their new album. While I might be wrong, I am thinking that the only reason why this track was used is simply to point out its inception and have a talking point that alludes to the fact that with Roth, the band is getting back to their roots.

What do I like about this song? It opens up with a pretty cool father and son riff. Wolfie has arrived. And the kid shows up again with some strong backing vocals on that chorus I mentioned. Sure he is no Michael Anthony in that department in that Anthony's the best in the biz, but nonetheless, it seems like his vocals were punched up a bit here so that the band could say that they have nothing to hide, nothing to fear, and that Wolfgang could hold his own.

So far, I kind of haven't given 'glowing' reviews to the first two opening numbers, but that's just because I am trying to be fair and unbiased and not make this a VAN HALEN With Roth ass-kisser, but guess what? VAN HALEN With Roth Kicks Ass! Maybe they intentionally wanted to start off with the calm before the storm? Trust me...a storm is about to come!

”You And Your Blues” is a well-mixed tune that sounds totally fresh while highlighting that classic VAN HALEN sound, with Wolfgang especially turning those backing vocals up a notch and with Eddie coming in with not only a cool new riff throughout, but the first of many blistering new solos that make us remember why he was deemed a guitar god in the first place.

The heaviest song on the album is by far “China Town”, and everyone is in fine form. Eddie opens with yet another new riff that will in time no doubt soon be considered a classic. Throughout the song as well, Eddie is just great! The solo soars, but with Wolfgang again going toe-to-toe. And on this one, Roth is screaming! And it’s a good scream. These are very powerful vocals coming from a 56 year-old man. (Do the math. Dave was half this age when we first heard him singing Jump!)

I am not sure what to make of “Blood And Fire”. I think I have heard this before as an old instrumental of theirs from way back, but it would simply take me way too long to go listen to all my old tapes to track it down, especially if all that work might prove fruitless. The lyrics of the song point to the rough and tumble history of the band, but the line Dave says that captures it all: "I told you I was coming back!”

Searing guitar and pounding drums open “Bullet Head”, yet another scorcher. All four cylinders are burning on this one. Short, quick, and very powerful. I find it of interest that soon after Eddie offers up one of his own classic and patented 'elephant sound' effects, a vintage 'Eddie Van Halen' sound, he throws in a riff that sounds more like a Steve Vai, or even a Paul Gilbert rip-off, along with the note-for-note shadowing bass line a la Billy Sheehan that we found both on Roth's Eat 'Em And Smile solo effort and on MR. BIG's self-titled debut. Now while many would say, rightfully so, that Vai and Gilbert are excellent guitarists in their own right, both obviously went to the school of Eddie Van Halen when it comes to playing, and both, at least I believe, had been trying to take over Eddie's throne on the albums I mentioned, at which point who is ripping off whom? Maybe here Eddie is simply giving a nod, while saying "I'm back! I am here to reclaim the throne!”

Fun little fact about the song is that it mentions the album title in the lyrics, something that was done back on the Women And Children First album with the track “Could This Be Magic?” and again on Fair Warning with “Mean Streets”.

As Is comes next, opening with just Alex for a few bars of what sounds like a slowed down opening to “Everybody Wants Some” off W&CF, that is until the band joins in, when they all turn it up a notch and it sounds a bit like the opening of “Hot For Teacher”. It then immediately picks up the pace even more, sounding a little like “Shy Boy”, which Roth fans would know from his Eat 'Em album, but which actually was a tune Billy Sheehan brought over back then from his own band TALAS. The strange thing is that while people have wondered about Wolfie in regards to his vocals, who knows on this tune if it's actually Wolfie on bass? Maybe it's Eddie, as Sheehan isn't one that could be easily taken on by anyone other than a master? But if it is the kid, props have to definitely be thrown his way for such a fine job.

There are more hints of 'other things' in here as well. The solo is pseudo-“Eruption” off their debut and then everything abruptly slows up into a "No Devil Heart and Soul, In The Groove And On The Go. No. Ahh Yeah!" break from “The Full Bug” off of Diver Down, just with different lyrics. This is a very strong track, which I'm hoping will carry over to their live set.

“Honeybabysweetiedoll” starts off with Eddie again inventing some new kind of sounds with that guitar of his, over what sounds like him trying to tune in the signal on an old ham radio, but then BAMM...another fast-paced sonic masterpiece. Roth's vocals are spoken, from fast paced to slow, then back again, all fitting in perfectly before he goes into one of his classic howls. The song has a kind of “Outta Love Again” feel from Van Halen II and Eddie is on fire throughout! I predict that this will at some point down the road be considered a VAN HALEN classic.

“That's The Trouble With Never”†initially sounds not like an old VAN HALEN leftover, but rather an old Roth one, and that's not what I am looking for here. But then it kicks in and I love it. Alex is pounding away, as is Eddie, but yeah, I am going to go with thinking, and I might be totally wrong, but that this is from Roth's very own vaults and is something Eddie graciously accepted as whole, lyrics and all, as opposed to something Eddie wrote and allowed Dave to come up with the crazy wording. Of those words, some will stand out, especially towards the end with Dave speaking the line "Dance The Night Away", but also with what is sure to be written up as one of his classics: "When you turn on the stereo, does it return the favor?”. That's just good shit! Or bad. You either like Dave's lyrics or you don't. There's no in between!

”Outta Space”. Just the 'outta' alone is an ode to the past. Here Roth's vocals are topnotch, but, if you listen closely, so is everyone else on this one. The guitar solo would easily fit onto any one of the first six Roth-fronted VAN HALEN albums, although its end is very similar to the solo from “Hot For Teacher”. Roth mentions Facebook, which might make the song sound passe 20 years from now. Then again it might not. We'll see then, but today the song sounds great and that is all that matters.

Acoustic guitar opens “Stay Frosty”, the first few notes actually reminding me of LED ZEPPELIN's “Friends” off of LZ III, but the song itself will quickly remind everyone of “Ice Cream Man” off the eponymous Van Halen album. “Friends” returns for a few seconds until the full band kicks in and is just on fire. Eddie throws in a scorching solo as well. After a few listens, this becomes my favorite song on the album and my guess is it will be yours, too, one that most probably will be a staple in their live set, but that means the expense there will be that classic “Ice Cream Man” we’ve all come to love and expect at a mighty VAN HALEN show!

”Big River” starts off like it's gonna be a slow number, but after that seven-second tease, the foundation of this track is basically the guitar and drums to 1978's “Runnin' With The Devil” off the first album, with a punched up bass line, but which came first? This question is asked, because this tune originally appeared two years earlier than that, it being yet another track from those famous Gene Simmons demos, though back then it was entitled “Big Trouble”. That said, this sounds like something that could have easily been on a Roth-fronted follow-up to the 1984 album that is if things didn't go the way they did back then. “Big River” has all the things in it that define why you liked VAN HALEN in the first place: big vocals, big guitar, big backing vocals, and big steady beat.

The album closes with “Beats Workin”, a song whose main riff is reminiscent of a slightly slowed down version of AC/DC's "Girl Got Rhythm", a paradox in that GGR actually came out three years after VAN HALENfirst tried recording this song in the 70's, then with the working title "Put Out The Lights". You might even hear some hints of KISS and if so, I wonder if that was the direct Simmons' influence?

In it's original form back then, the song's lyrics revolved around 'Fast Eddie' and groupies and my guess is that, with all sorts of Eddie Van Halen nuances littered throughout, this was originally meant to be an Eddie Van Halen showpiece. In it's reworking, however, it seems more like a possible closing ode to the fans, in a way telling them that 'we are back and we are rocking, for your enjoyment and for ours", as well as "we're having so much fun that it isn't even work". And rocking beats working any day!.

So what can I say in recap? The album is an enigma. To me, it starts off weak, but within a few plays, you just don't care! It is that good! There are flaws. Some you will pick up from the start, some you will pick up later, all, which at some point don't seem to be flaws at all. This album grows on you and was well worth the wait.

The band is in fine form. Alex and Michael Anthony had always taken a back seat in reviews to both Eddie & Dave, simply 'cause those two are tops in their field, but obviously for all those classic songs to have been that good, the drums and bass had to be good as well. The same can be said here, this time with Alex joined by his nephew, Eddie's son Wolfgang. Sure diehards will miss Michael Anthony; a guy who, to me, has remained a class act throughout what first became his limited status, then removal from the band. This is no reason to pass on the record however.

As for Eddie, he sounds totally rejuvenated. Guitarists all around will immediately start trying to break things down in an attempt to figure out what new little tricks Eddie has had up his sleeves all this time. He sounds the best he has in years, as does Dave, who seems to have been given leeway to do what he wants on this album, which kind of makes me think...

In a recent interview a couple of months back, obviously prior to the album's release, Sammy Hagar stated that he is more than sure that Dave must be running the ship now. He claims that even when he returned in 2004, the Van Halen brothers seem to need direction, need to have someone come in and take the bull by the horns.

Well this album is a bull. And it is going to run right over you. If it doesn't get you the first time, it will soon after, so jump in that barrel or get out of the way. If not, you're gonna be gorged!