Posted: September 14th, 2008
Contributed By: Nick

	Purchase @ Amazon.com Release Date: September 16, 2008 via Atlantic / Eleven Seven
	Buckcherry is: Josh Todd (Vocals) Keith Nelson (Guitar) Stevie D. (Guitar) Jimmy Ashhurst (Bass) Xavier Muriel (Drums)

Overview: Get back, baby, because Buckcherry have earned its place in the sun. So far, the band has sold records to almost two million crazy bitches and porno stars, a carousel ride Buckcherry has been ridin’ since the mid-90’s. Well I was trying to subliminally use as many Buckcherry song titles as I could here, but too much whiskey in the morning made me run out of ideas; ok, I’ll stop. Picking up the quintet after the heat of their roaring comeback album ‘15‘ started to cool, Josh Todd and company got down to work on album number four. The band blasted through the studio, cranking out a finished product in time for them to hit the road this past summer. It was about the end of July when a new Buckcherry song called “Too Drunk” came to a head on torrent downloading websites, challenging whether or not this was an unsupervised leak or a mischievous marketing strategy. While the true answer lies within the decider, the fact still remained that a brand new Buckcherry album was on the way. On September 16, ‘Black Butterfly‘ flits out of its cocoon and into the Buckcherry repertoire.

The Good: So I figured maybe if I was lucky, that oh, maybe only 2 of the 12 ‘Black Butterfly‘ tunes would be turncoats to the “Sorry” archetype which I assumed was going to rape the album. But damn, Buckcherry sure hasn’t forgotten how to break it. Even with their most least abrasive opener since “Lit Up” in “Rescue Me”, the band still turns it into their playground, boasting loudly with the same bum-rushing fervor as every other Buckcherry leadoff hitter. Good luck getting drowsy to “Tired of You”, a sexy, sunshiny slab of dangerously contagious rock that talks money, balks bullshit, and draws you in the way the Jonas Brothers draw in minivans to their shows. “Too Drunk” rolls around in the racy filth of its simplicity, splashing you and luring you at the same time; highly organic and sugar-free, “Too Drunk” is a nice, modest rekindling of turn of the century Buckcherry. The next generation, slowed down rock cousin of Billy Idol’s “White Wedding”, “Dreams” would make a daring single. The song shows the band locked in a constant game of tug-of-war, with the winning result a number balanced seamlessly between doleful verses and destiny-itched choruses. “Talk To Me” is a heart-pumping, chest-thumping anthem and one of the most eloquent renditions of “post hair metal” I’ve ever heard; the shameless guitar parade is Aerosmithy at times, most notably akin to the zesty “Love in an Elevator”. I’m glad to see Buckcherry’s 2001 effort ‘Time Bomb‘ didn’t amount to forgotten progress, because the punky and driving “Child Called ‘It’” brings it full circle. Not overbearing and “beachy” to just the right degree, the band is able to proudly wax the board of “Child Called ‘It’” without jeopardizing the integrity of the hang-ten, punk rock zen. Sleazy, punchy, and armed with a viciously invasive Josh Todd, “Fallout” is a hellion rocking brass knuckles and steel toes. The bridge, oddly another “White Wedding” allusion, preaches rebellion and emancipation, making “Fallout” a true bosshog that stands out as a leader. The gliding enchantment of “Rose” would make the biggest splash on adult alternative radio since a PMS-fueled Meredith Brooks bitch-slapped stations in 1997. Its perky Southern twinge doesn’t try to rise up and rule the kingdom, preserving the lustrous pedals of “Rose” from sounding stale and wilting. A folky, rocking chair ballad cut with a banjo, “All of Me” calls out from the front porch with mountainous amounts of personal sentimentality; you might not think so at first, but “All of Me” just might come out of nowhere and surprise you as the vocal zenith of ‘Black Butterfly‘ for Mr. Todd. “Imminent Bail Out” is torched by a punch-drunk, garage-band charm that earns it points in the honesty department. The song is audacious and feisty until the very end, where the final fist to the air and scream made to scare is sure to awaken not only your neighbors, but your entire neighborhood as well. If you think the final track “Cream” is representative of sperm icing, your perverted logic just might be dead on balls accurate. While I’m not claiming anything, you can’t help but laugh at a song with such a ludicrous lyrical pitch. Poke your head deeper into “Cream” however and you will uncover an athletic and enterprising musical stage, as the band arouses you with a carte blanche dance and proof it’s going to take a lot to try and sterilize Buckcherry.

The Bad: While I’m not the biggest fan of “Too Drunk”, especially as the song chosen to be single numero uno from ‘Black Butterfly‘, it is not nearly as craptastic as “Don’t Go Away”, the bastard stepsibling of “Sorry”. The sad part about “Don’t Go Away” is that you can clearly hear Buckcherry trying to liven up this vat of gazpacho, dragging you down a cobble road for a tremendously painful 231 seconds; and let it be known, there is no blood on my hands, because I even WANTED to like this cash-grab catastrophe at first. Dr. Scholl’s wouldn’t be able to endorse ‘Black Butterfly‘, because the album, a potpourri of the three prior releases, doesn’t quite jell the way the band’s previous affairs did. While this may not matter to some of you, ‘Black Butterfly‘ lacks a song capable of making a tidal on the charts, as “Rose” is the only cut on here that I think could even hold its head above water at mainstream radio. “Tired of You” could hang at active rock, and even though it is my favorite ‘Black Butterfly‘ song, I just don’t see it breaking any higher than 15 or so. ‘Black Butterfly‘ is a rough sketch of something that when completely finished would turn out marvelous. The album just sounds really incomplete to me, and I don’t hear enough evidence to award Buckcherry the “we rushed it” excuse; just remember folks, you might spend 50 cents more per sheet when you upgrade from black and white to color ink, but the impression it makes and the difference it has on the outcome of the artwork goes a long way.

Bottomline: Buckcherry has a great deal to be proud of with ‘Black Butterfly‘. First and foremost, the band avoided falling victim to the “Sorry” pandemic, keeping their “modern sleaze rock” roots alive. In addition, Buckcherry played off vibes from each one of their three older records, proving they remember and rejoice in what got them to the top in the first place. However, the high of ‘Black Butterfly‘ is a brief tenure with a mild plateau, as even repeat listens might still leave your stomach growling in hunger or your throat still parched and needing fluids. The moral of this story is if you’re going to do what you’ve done before and be as innovative about it as possible, make sure it’s better than what you’ve done before.

Rating: 7 out of 10