Sublime with Rome - Sirens

Sublime with Rome
Sirens
2015

Sublime with Rome is not in and of itself a travesty. The original band members of Sublime after the tragic overdose of Brad Nowell have every right to move on and try and do what they love, make music. However, using the Sublime name, using the Sublime style and watering it down into complete bullshit, now that is the travesty. The two original members of the band teamed up with Rome in 2009 in the hopes that his similar sensibility to Brad Nowell would bring some credence the the reunion, but it just doesn't. Brad's use of reggae and punk was organic, it came from his love of both as well as his upbringing. Rome is just copying, plain and simple. Sirens has zero edge. Where "Santeria" was a love song of the darkest sort "Wherever You Go" is just fluff. "House Party" could be straight off a Fall Out Boy album and the up-stroking garbage belongs no where near Sublime. The question that keeps popping up is why call this Sublime at all? There is only one founding member left in the band, the music is clearly taking a different direction so why associate this record with Brad Nowell's legacy?

That aside, the music on this record is pretty dismal. Rome's singing talents make his attempts at writing punk lyrics come across as completely contrived. The first half of the record is him pretending that he can sings punk rock, pretending to sing reggae just all out pretending. His voice sounds great, but the context is completely off. The bass and drum backing also is sloppy and lazy. There is no sharpness to the entire album, nothing really picks up or pushes the tempo. Even the first track "Sirens" sort of fades into obscurity. Admittedly this record is the hardest to listen to for Sublime fans, more because of what it is not than what it is. The thought of someone young kid listening to this album and thinking this is what Sublime and more importantly Brad Nowell was all out is troubling. Sirens in the end is just a bad album piggy backing on an amazing name and history. It isn't fair, but it's life.

2 out of 10