Album Review: Andrew W.K. - "God is Partying"

Holupwaitaminute.  Did Andrew W.K, who for roughly twenty years has been the self-styled God Partying…write a power metal album?

That sounds so wrong.  Every part of it sounds wrong, even as it’s typed.  And yet, after repeated listening, that’s the only tangible conclusion that can be drawn from listening to his new album “God Is Partying.”

And it doesn’t take much time to get there.  The lead single “Everybody Sins,” is a stark departure from the rapturous bombast that kicked off the man’s most famous work, “I Get Wet.”  No longer is it time to party, as “Everybody Sins” comes with a stunted, hammering riff, devious in the depth of its novel guitar tone, and sets a more serious tone for all the proceedings to follow.  

It’s worth repeating again, specifically as it relates to this single – all the modern hallmarks of power metal are present.  There’s a singalong, major-key chorus with backup singers to help up break up the bleak landscape of the main riff, there are keyboards and a pulsing beat…this is power metal in all but name.

The momentum continues into Babalon, another composition that falls outside all the preconceived notions we’ve ever had about Andrew W.K.  For all that, one of his most important hallmarks remains; his albums have always been larger than life, and “God Is Partying” does nothing to change that.  This record is B-I-G.  It’s a massive sound, and the first two cuts are overwhelming if you’re not prepared for them.  It’s like that old Maxwell advertisement with the guy being blown away by the speaker.

There was a lot of press going into this record about how Andrew (if I may call him Andrew,) wanted to show everyone out there a different side not only of his songwriting, but of his musical ability.  All of that comes through in this effort, as Andrew re-invents himself, diving into the metal roots that he’s always flirted with, and at the same time playing every sound that’s heard on the record. As bizarre as it is to say, there is not one party anthem on this record, not a single veneer of bacchanalian invincibility.  Instead we’re left with a collection of songs that describe markedly human emotions like pain, confusion and regret, all while blasting out mammoth chords and titanic choruses.

Nowhere is this more apparent than on the album’s third single “I’m In Heaven,” which thunders into the room with little warning and crushes glass under its hooves for three minutes.  There is no let up here, no sprightly interludes, just a tumult of synth reverb and a crash of drums and guitar.  Imagine if you can that Type O Negative’s “October Rust’ was melted into an alloy with “I Get Wet,” and you’re….well, kind of there.

Let us not get carried away – there are five other songs on “God Is Partying,” plus the under-a-minute filler of “Goddess Partying” and none of them stand out in a particular way.  “Stay True to Your Heart” comes the closest, in that it is an interesting and respectable attempt to venture into some ‘80s-style synth rock, with a manufactured beat and an electronic essence.  There’s nothing wrong with the song, and Andrew should be credited for trying to spread his wings in that direction, too.  But it does sound a little out of place amidst the rest of the record.

As for the other four songs, if you’ve heard one of them, you’ve essentially heard them all.  Again, not bad songs, just not what’s going to pay the bills for the record, and the last three “Remember Your Oath,” “My Tower,” and “And Then We Blew Apart,” are in many ways extensions of the same basic power ballad idea.

Don’t get distracted, though – we talk a lot on this site about artists who either don’t have the ability to re-invent themselves, or fail miserably in the attempt.  Andrew W.K, went for it, abandoning everything that made him famous to this point, and the result, “God Is Partying” is an admirable lesson in versatility.  The three singles – “Everybody Sins,” “Babalon” and “I’m In Heaven,” are more than reason enough to make this worthy effort part of your regular listening rotation.

So yes, Andrew W.K wrote a power metal album.  And it happens to be better than just about any other power metal album released this year.