Review: Limp Bizkit Strike Back With The Power of ‘Gold Cobra’

Limp Bizkit burst onto the scene in the late 90s with a unique style and sound that quickly established them as one of the leaders of the emerging nu-metal scene. The band would experience a meteoric rise, develop a rabid fan base and tour the globe. As their mainstream popularity grew, it seemed that Limp Bizkit was an unstoppable force. Like so many bands before them, the band members would learn that with any amount of success comes growing pains. Limp Bizkit was no exception to this rule. Internal struggles in the band lead to the departure of guitarist Wes Borland, an unofficial hiatus and years of internet speculation about a possible reunion. During their time apart, each member would go on to experiment with new projects both in and out of the music industry. On February 11, 2009, the reunion rumors were confirmed as frontman Fred Durst and Wes Borland released a joint statement about the future of the band. It read: “We decided we were more disgusted and bored with the state of heavy popular music than we were with one another. Regardless of where our separate paths have taken us, we recognize there is a powerful and unique energy with this particular group of people we have not found anywhere else. This is why Limp Bizkit is back.” It was this moment that ushered in the ‘Gold Cobra’ era of Limp Bizkit.

My history with the band starts way back when they had just released their debut album, ‘Three Dollar Bill, Y’all$’. A friend had introduced to the album and I found myself blow away by it. The band’s overall sound and style were stark contrast to what was filling the airwaves at the time and provided a much needed break to that seemingly endless monotony. We went to as many LB shows as we could in our surrounding area as they always provided a ton of bang for your buck. Along the way I scored a signed Cassingle from Fred Durst (which is either still around here or was sold on the early days of eBay to finance our binge drinking/concert going experience) and we even served as an impromptu landing pad for Fred Durst as he dove from the balcony of Washington, DC’s legendary 930 Club. We found ourselves on the ground floor for the growing nu-metal movement which was pretty exciting at the time. As the month’s went on and the band’s popularity grew, we found ourselves just as captivated by their second release ‘Significant Other’. The band was clearly growing musically and charted a slew of hits with that album. We were in attendance as the band played in front of a worldwide audience at Woodstock ’99 and it seemed that the once obscure group with the strange name was now on the tongue of everyone in attendance. The band that people had given us shit about listening to was now bumping out of the speakers at every house party we rolled in on donning our Korn/Deftones/Limp Bizkit chique. We were on top of the world and thought we were pretty awesome (which is one of the many things we did in our misguided youth that I still stand behind — as we helped change the pop culture landscape in our own way, record to record, party to party, suburb to suburb!). It was cool to be part of that experience and I look back on that period with fond memories. It was shortly thereafter that the bottom started falling out on my dedication to the band. I am sure it was a combination of elements ranging from a broadening taste in metal, the overexposure of the band in the rock/pop media, the band’s internal struggles and two albums that just didn’t seem to capture the magic of the earlier work. Time marched on for us all.

I never strayed to far from the band. During those years away, we even were inspired enough to spawn our own music website to spread the word on the band’s that we loved. Our friends got married, had kids, relationships dissolved but I always kept on eye on the developments with Limp Bizkit along the way. It is safe to say that it was an interesting decade for all involved. So when I say the news that the band was going to reunite, I was very intrigued. In recent years, I had seen and spoke to Wes Borland about his side projects and the bad blood among the former band members. I had seen Fred Durst go from media icon to a much more low-key, focused and seemingly content artist in those years. Nu-metal was dead, just mentioned in every article and the sound of the scene had once again shifted. The question was “What would this all amount to?” I was quite pleased to find my answer.

‘Gold Cobra’ is a powerful blend of what made me a fan of the band in the first place. I suppose going into this album, my worst fear was that it would be more of the same but that is not the case for ‘Gold Cobra’. While it includes elements of the band’s signature sound and brings the excitement and energy of the first two albums, at no point does ‘Gold Cobra’ feel rehashed or like a serve as a reboot of a time long since past. The unique sound that Borland brings to the fold is once again present along with a renewed ferociousness in Durst’s voice and lyrics. While the frontman and guitarist may be the most high profile members of this outfit, you can’t overlook the contributions of bassist Sam Rivers, drummer John Otto and the scratching the legendary DJ Lethal. Throughout the album, each member of the band shines and they sound tighter than on any previous outing. Standout tracks on ‘Gold Cobra’ include the chugging, return to the scene anthem “Bring It Back,” the anger fueled, take no prisoners style of “Shark Attack” and “Douche Bag,” and the ethereal sounds of “Walking Away.”

They say every journey begins with a single step and when it comes to Limp Bizkit they have never been a band that is afraid to take leaps. The difference between the leap for ‘Gold Cobra’ and the last studio outing is that the band has landed sure-footedly with this effort and will hopefully keep this momentum going forward. The energy and musical artistry on the record will certainly remove any doubt that they are simply back for the paycheck or that they are simply phoning it in. No matter which era you might have joined the Limp Bizkit movement, there is certainly something for every fan on this album and it will deliver a few surprises along the way. If they proved anything to me with this release, it is that reunited and reenergized, the boys in Limp Bizkit once again take the world by storm and I for one am happy to have them back.

Put away any preconceived notions that you may have about the band and experience the power of ‘Gold Cobra’ for yourself when it hits the streets on June 28th, 2011.

SCORE: 4.5 out of 5

“Gold Cobra” will come in several configurations. The standard release will feature 13 new songs while the deluxe edition (available digitally only) will feature 16 new songs. Additionally, fans can purchase a physical CD that has 17 original songs exclusively at Best Buy, and that same release of 16 songs will be available digitally at Napster.com.

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“Gold Cobra” album configurations and track listings:

Standard Edition

01. Introbra
02. Bring It Back
03. Gold Cobra
04. Shark Attack
05. Get A Life
06. Shotgun
07. Douche Bag
08. Walking Away
09. Loser
10. Autotunage
11. 90.2.10
12. Why Try
13. Killer In You

Deluxe Edition

01. Introbra
02. Bring It Back
03. Gold Cobra
04. Shark Attack
05. Get A Life
06. Shotgun
07. Douche Bag
08. Walking Away
09. Loser
10. Autotunage
11. 90.2.10
12. Why Try
13. Killer In You
14. Back Porch
15. My Own Cobain
16. Angels

Best Buy Deluxe Edition

01. Introbra
02. Bring It Back
03. Gold Cobra
04. Shark Attack
05. Get A Life
06. Shotgun
07. Douche Bag
08. Walking Away
09. Loser
10. Autotunage
11. 90.2.10
12. Why Try
13. Killer In You
14. Back Porch
15. My Own Cobain
16. Angels
17. Middle Finger (feat Paul Wall)