Buckcherry is always down for a good time. It has been four years since we have heard new material from the So Cal natives. A few lineup changes since then, they are back with Warpaint (Century Media) and this time without original guitarist Keith Nelson but with the same fun attitude.

The title-track kicks off the album as expected—a straightforward Rocker with an indelible guitar riff in the same Buckcherry style we know: the acoustic and rhythmic strums that begin in ‘Right Now’ come in nicely with Josh Todd’s vocals smoothing out the ride. The Nine Inch Nails cover of ‘Head Like A Hole’ is a nice surprise, too. The Buckcherry spin to it is an enjoyable experience and fits sonically well on the record.

The album comes with a couple of ballads. The first one is the slow ‘Radio Song’ that mimics your traditional pop/rock song. But the energy is amped up again with ‘The Vacuum’ which features the best work from guitarist Stevie D. ‘Bent’ is one of the better tracks on here—the energy is high with a catchy chorus as Todd pours his soul in the chorus.

The deeper into the album, the more interesting it gets. A couple of the twists on the record come in ‘Back Down’ and ‘The Alarm.’ They are both at basic mid-tempo and offer sassy vocal hooks different from anything else on the album. The colorful ‘No Regrets’ starts off with a punky vibe that later evolves into a wannabe Zack Brown Band solo with an unnecessary twang.

As the second ballad ‘The Hunger’ hits, you are left to wonder if this is the same band that conceived ‘Crazy Bitch’ because it is something you would hear on Country radio. But once ‘Closer’ gets going, it is definitely the same band. The hard rock track transitions nicely to the final track, ‘The Devil Is In The Details’—where it wraps up the album with a psychedelic fun note.

Warpaint showcases the Buckcherry fans have grown to love. Not a bad thing—the album has its strengths but it comes with a few tracks that miss out on being fully developed. That itself is not a bad thing either—it just proves this band is not afraid to try something new. And by the eighth time around, why not have some fun with it?

7 / 10

CYNTHIA JO