Album Review: Tenacious D: Rize of the Fenix

I couldn't believe it. I was stunned. I laid on my bed with this stupefying thought: I had just listened to a Tenacious D album that I didn't find all that funny. How the hell did this happen? Ever since 2006's soundtrack to The Pick Of Destiny, loyal fans of The D have been waiting for a return to their spectacular roots by way of a legitimate successor to Tenacious D. Rize of the Fenix, while a worthwhile release, is the farthest from their comedic roots that the duo has traveled.

Still the best album cover of all time. Phoenix Penis FTW.

You might be just as shocked to hear this revelation as I was to type it, but for those of you that haven't taken your own stroll through Fenixdelphia, I can back this up.

From the very first track (also entitled "Rize of the Fenix" ), it's easy to hear the ambitious scope of the The D's latest effort. No longer just a pair of guitars, Jack Black and Kyle Gass are backed by a band that provides a rich, full sound akin to what you heard on their movie's soundtrack. The Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl is back at the drums, keeping the trio from the prior albums intact. The D bounces around genres with a Mexican-style groove on "Senorita" to a very BNL-sounding turn on "Quantum Leap" (available on the physical CD).

Despite all this versatility, it's just not enough.

Don't get me wrong, I fully appreciate how well arranged and produced this album is. It's a testament to The D that their music has never suffered in favor of their comedy, even at times rising to its parallel. Their effort ensures that on the 349th listen-through, the album still has a redeeming trait even if I've heard all the jokes. Unfortunately, the music's forward momentum carries past the humor on tracks like "Roadie." It's a fantastic song, but aside from the fellatio reference, I'm not sure any lyric within is laugh out loud funny. 

Most of Fenix's tracks feature amusing themes or subjects, but fall short of the hysterics created from earlier albums. "39," a tune where JB wails in the style of a coked-up and over the hill Springsteen (so you know, Springsteen) about his "young enough for me" 39-year old lady. It's a decent enough firestarter, but the track drags too long, clocking in at an unheard of (for The D) 5:16. The flame peters out halfway through and is blown on for another two minutes until it finally dies. "The Ballad of Hollywood Jack and the Rage Kage" tells a nice story, but again, aside from a reference to snorting coke of the posterior of a prostitute, where's the funny? At 5:06, this diddy also suffers from prolonged exposure.

Other tracks don't last nearly long enough. "They Fucked Our Asses" has a great start, but doesn't last long enough to see it through. It may say 1:08, but it feels like 40 seconds at best thanks to its guitar solo intro and winding end. Right after it, "To Be the Best" gets all 80's Rocky montage on you with some synth action, but only goes 1:01 on the timer! At just over 46 minutes (including the two bonus tracks), the disc leaves you wanting.

And just to remind you, NONE of these tracks are bad. In fact, most of them sound fantastic. It's just that they fail to really strike the funny bone the way these comedians are known for. And therein lies the issue. Rize of the Fenix struck me closer to a Rock album than it did a Comedy album. If this release had the same ratio of songs to vocal comedy tracks like on their debut (which was about 1:1), it would have been far more palatable. Unfortunately, there's only two strictly vocal tracks, leaving me all alone without enough hilarity on an album from a comedy duo. To me, that is nigh unacceptable.

Still, I've listened to Rize of the Fenix 20 times already. It's Tenacious D. Ergo, it is awesome. I just hope it isn't another six years before they have something new for me.