Limp Bizkit, 'Still Sucks' Album Review - Fred Durst and Company Make a Statement

Limp Bizkit, ‘Still Sucks’ Album Review – Fred Durst and Company Make a Statement

2021-11-08

Limp Bizkit, “Still Sucks,” album cover – Review by Anne Erickson, album cover via Suretone Records

Review: Fred Durst and Limp Bizkit are back with a new album, “Still Sucks,” offering plenty of nu-metal nostalgia, plus modern production and vibes

Let’s just call 2021 the year of Limp Bizkit. The story started back in July, when Fred Durst posted his new “dad rock” look on Instagram ahead of the rap-rock band’s headlining Lollapalooza performance. Then, at Lollapalooza, Durst took the stage with his new “dad” look – complete with a gray, mature mop-top and handlebar mustache, red sunglasses and windbreaker – and debuted a new Limp Bizkit song, appropriately titled “Dad Vibes.”

From there, Limp Bizkit was trending everywhere. Fans from the band’s ’90s heyday were back in droves, stoked for Durst and company to be back in the news- and on the charts. Bizkit also set out on a North American club tour, but the run was ended prematurely due to concerns with the ongoing pandemic.

Now, Limp Bizkit is back with something fans have waited for more than a decade: a new album. The album’s title, “Limp Bizkit Sill Sucks,” is a hilarious self-depreciating joke, plus pokes fun and critics and music fans who, for whatever reason, have often wrote Bizkit off as not worthy of a true place in the rock world.

“Limp Bizkit Still Sucks” marks the band’s first full-length since 2011’s “Gold Cobra” and just their second album since 2003’s “Results May Vary.” The album stars aggressively with two classic-sounding Bizkit tracks: “Out of Style” and “Dirty Rotten Bizkit.” Both songs feature Durst signing super melodic hooks over energized guitars and beats.

“Still Sucks” features plenty of modern effects and punchy vocals, with songs such as “You Bring Out the Worst In Me” and “Pill Popper” featuring heavy turnstile playing. Limp Bizkit are known for their heavy hip-hop influence, and that’s most apparent on jams such as “Dad Vibes” and “Goodbye,” both of which feature a strong dose of Durst’s rhyming.

Limp Bizkit even pull back and go unplugged with the song “Empty Hole,” a brief, acoustic ballad that shows off the softer side of Durst. For those yearning for the straight-ahead nu-metal of the late-’90s and early-2000s will find it in “Turn It Up, B****,” featuring a strong mix of metal guitars and rap vocals.

The main charm of “Still Sucks” lies in the album’s variety, as the band delivers a range of dynamics, from classic Bizkit hip-hop to soft ballads. The production is stellar, Wes Borland’s riffs are strong and Durst’s rhymes are in the pocket and through-provoking. With a solid new release to bring them into the 2020s, it appears Limp Bizkit 2.0 is here to stay.

Ink rating: 9/10. Essential songs: “Dad Vibes,” “Empty Hole,” “Goodbye,” “Dirty Rotten Bizkit.” For fans of: That late-’90s, early-2000s nu-metal, featuring heavy guitars and rhymes with attitude.

Author
Recent Posts

Anne Erickson

Meet the expert - Author, writer and editor Anne Erickson is a Detroit-based reporter and radio host. She has written for the USA Today Network, Consequence.net, Blabbermouth.net, and many more. Anne holds a master's degree from Michigan State University. Contact Anne at anne@audioinkradio.com.