Review
The Faint
Doom Abuse

It came as a surprise to everyone. The Faint sprung up from the ground out of nowhere after being gone for a few years. They came out of the dark to celebrate Danse Macabre's 10-year anniversary. What people didn't expect was for them to accompany the tour with new music. At their merch booth, fans had the chance to purchase a 12-inch with 4 new tracks. Most of the tracks showed promise over the underwhelming, Fasciinatiion. Their new album, Doom Abuse, is a big step up, but does it live up to its predecessors?

The record starts strong with, "Help in the Head." It's got the hook you'd want from a Faint song. Something you want to dance to with a blend of Blank Wave Arcade and Fasciinatiion. Production takes a turn into a new direction from their previous work. More open and chaotic. Everything sounds less tight and clean. The next track, "Mental Radio," is a poppy new-wave track--still something to move your hips to, which is all I ask of The Faint. The next track, "Evil Voices," is one that was previously available on the tour EP. It seems to be the same recording. This was the track that got me excited for The Faint again. The track sounds like it could have been a b-side from Blank Wave Arcade. It's a dance-punk song that goes in and out of being fluid and tumultuous. Things get more hectic with a fast paced rhythm that keeps everything immediate and alert on "Salt My Doom." 

We then come to one of the weaker tracks on the album--"Animal Needs." Vocally, the track doesn't have much going on. Baechle delivers an intentionally monotonous performance, which is what kills the song for me. The band then returns to their early day sound with, "Loss of Head." Something feels like it's missing from this one. You can move to it and it's melodious, but the song falls flat at times. "Dress Code," is most likely going to be something you skip. Think of it as an intermission for the album. Basically, it's just an instrumental track. Doom Abuse has been losing some of its focus but begins to get it back with, "Scapegoat." More fast paced beats lead the short track. "Your Stranger," keeps the dance-punk theme going before the fabulously dark synthpop number, "Lesson From the Darkness." 

Up next is another song that was on the surprise tour EP. Unlike "Evil Voices," this recording of, "The Unseen Hand," is new and even rewritten. The previous recording reveals just how incomplete the track was before Doom Abuse. The original was repetitive from the orchestration to the lyrics. The song has since been increased in tempo, rhythm, structure, and even lyrics. The band took a stodgy track and made it one of the best on the record. "Damage Control," closes out the record on a slow note. For such an upbeat and vigorous album, it's kind of jarring to come to such a sluggish end. 

Doom Abuse has high points and low points. It takes the band back to a more basic sound (for Faint standards). The older sound was something they leaned towards, and for the most part it works. However, some of these tracks could have been so much better if they had been cleaned up a little more in the studio. While it may not live up to Danse Macabre or Wet From Birth, there's a place for it in The Faint's catalog.