What The Hell Happened To...11.17.08: Army Of Anyone - Army Of Anyone

Posted by Dan Marsicano on 11.17.2008

This week, Dan Marsicano is analyzing Army Of Anyone's debut album, a rock album that flew under the radar and didn't get the recognition it deserved.

The Introduction

Welcome to the 53rd edition of What The Hell Happened To…I'm Dan Marsicano, the writer who is still recovering from the massive celebration of his one year anniversary last week.

Enough third-person perspective; let's get right into it. Before the feature presentation, enjoy these brief previews of news and product placement.

In my quest for world domination, I have set shop up with my own metal blog. I know, I've been pimping it out for weeks now, and I appreciate the readers that visit it, but for all you non-clickers; get on board! You get videos, news, and exclusive reviews and interviews you won't get on 411 Music. This week, I got an interview with Total Fucking Destruction drummer/vocalist Richard Hoak on Monday and an advance review of Architect's new album Ghost Of The Saltwater Machines on Friday, four days before street date. So bookmark it, check it out every so often, and leave some damn feedback!

Also, if you readers can't get enough of me, I'm also writing for SMN News, a well-regarded metal website. I'm sticking to reviews for now, but like my blog, you get stuff you won't see on 411 Mania. So support my effort to become the greatest music critic of all time…or at least, in the top 1,000.

This week on 411 Mania, check out my review of Nickelback's Dark Horse, which will probably beat the amount of comments my review for Disturbed's Indestructible got. Let the flame war begin…on Wednesday.

Now, prepare for the feature presentation. Remember to turn your cell phones to vibrate, keep the damn noise down, and try not to spill buttered popcorn all over the carpet.





The Band

Richard Patrick-Vocals
Dean DeLeo-Guitar
Robert DeLeo-Bass, Backing Vocals
Ray Luzier-Drums


The Track Listing

1. It Doesn't Seem To Matter-3:52
2. Goodbye-4:32
3. Generation-3:31
4. A Better Place-4:59
5. Non Stop-3:58
6. Disappear-4:08
7. Stop, Look & Listen-3:52
8. Ain't Enough-3:44
9. Father Figure-4:04
10. Leave It-4:27
11. This Wasn't Supposed To Happen-5:23


The History

In 2005, Filter frontman Richard Patrick was working on a new album. It had been about three years since Filter's last album, The Amalgamut, made quite a large splash in rock music. Patrick turned to former Stone Temple Pilot members Robert and Dean DeLeo for some creative output.

From this, Patrick decided he wanted to continue the business relationship with the DeLeo brothers, and put Filter on hiatus, focusing his attention on Army Of Anyone. Ray Luzier was brought in after a successful audition and the band furiously worked on new material. The debut album was scheduled to debut in early 2006, but was delayed over six months because of personal reasons. Army Of Anyone would be released on November 14, 2006 to solid critical acclaim, but the sales were less than stellar…


The Analysis

Army Of Anyone should have been a success; all the pieces were seemingly in place for a sure-fire hit. The album had members from Filter and Stone Temple Pilots; two big rock bands in the 90's. Producer Bob Ezrin famously worked on Pink Floyd's 1979 classic The Wall, and single "Goodbye" was a modest hit. Yet, Army Of Anyone ended up barely selling 100,000 units and debuting at a low #56 on the Billboard charts.

"Goodbye" was the first taste of Army Of Anyone for me, and I immediately rushed out to pick up their debut album. After a listen or two, I put it aside, nothing really catching my attention, save for the single. Just recently, I was searching my ITunes for some background music and randomly picked out one track, closer "This Wasn't Supposed To Happen." I found the song to be dynamic and poignant, with a brilliant extended acoustic solo to close out the proceedings in high fashion. Army Of Anyone suddenly clicked with me and has been constantly blaring out of my speakers at maximum volume since.

Too bad that many people were in the same position when the album was released in 2006. "Goodbye" isn't a clear representation of Army Of Anyone; while a phenomenal rock track, the rest of the album is a more varied affair, with acoustic guitars used in a good portion of the album and the emotional level kept at a consistently upper level. There was a lot of potential single-worthy material, none of which was exploited for the band's benefit.

So is it right to blame the record label for that? Did the fact that the change from Columbia Records to an up-and-coming record label hurt the band in the long run? It's always risky, going from a big-name label that could possibly provide support if the material is fit to be pushed, to a brand new label made by a management company. Patrick and company were right to leave Columbia, as most of the people who supported the band over on the label had departed by the time the debut was finished. While they could have found another label to work with, whether that would be Reprise (Filter's record label) or Atlantic (STP's label), Army Of Anyone took a chance with The Firm.



"It Doesn't Seem To Matter" Live 2007 (Credit: TJ72521)


It wasn't The Firm that brought the band down. Maybe it was internal conflicts seeping out in the open or Patrick longing to get back to Filter, where his heart seemed to truly be at, or the DeLeo brothers hearing the same rumors we were about Stone Temple Pilots re-uniting.

Or maybe it was us.

By us, I mean you; and that woman standing to the left. Can't forget about that guy in the back; you too buddy. Every person who heard "Goodbye," thought it kicked ass, and didn't go out and buy the damn thing.

‘But Dan', you may say; ‘100,000 copies isn't really that bad, is it?'

‘No of course not,' I would answer. ‘It wouldn't be bad for any cookie-cutter rock band, but this particular band had Filter and Stone Temple Pilot members in it. That was the selling point; one that was quite unsuccessful, judging by the sales numbers.'

So, let's take a look into what all you so-called "rock fans" missed out with Army Of Anyone. "It Doesn't Seem To Matter" is an upbeat, high-energy opener that counts as an introduction to the band, with each member getting their chance to show off. The track perfectly leads into single "Goodbye," featuring the talented drummer Ray Luzier. His drum solo near the end is one of the best moments on the album, and makes you wonder why somebody as skilled as he is would go off and join Korn after the break-up of Army Of Anyone.

"Generation" is another up-tempo song, one that isn't as hard-hitting as the first two, but is still able to pack quite a punch. I sensed a STP vibe from the song as well, but maybe that was just me. "Father Figure," on the other hand, reminds me of early Filter, with a great solo to boot.

The rest of the album isn't as forceful as the songs above, but each has its own identity to it, something most rock bands fail to accomplish. From the psychedelic rock leanings in the bridge of "Non Stop" to the epic, acoustic-heavy "A Better Place," every song has a story to tell and the music backs each one up. Even for a debut album, the songwriting is strong, thanks to all the experience the members had with it, and the chemistry is strong in the band.

Army Of Anyone hits its stride at the end, with the one-two knockout punch of "Leave It" and "This Wasn't Supposed To Happen." The former sounds like a B-side from Led Zeppelin's III, while the latter is an epic, spacey-rock closer with a brilliant outro, as I went into greater detail about earlier in the analysis section. Both of these tracks are wonderful representations of the past and present, a hybrid of what Army Of Anyone was striving for.