Review Summary: A 30 minute dad joke set to bland heavy metal.
A 30 minute dad joke set to bland heavy metal.
Please understand that I have been a fan of Jim Breuer for years. Half Baked is one of those movies that I can watch over and over again. I have always loved that he has incorporated his love of heavy metal into his standup routine. As an aging metal head myself I relate to him a lot (more than I care to admit most days). Jim has always talked about how he would like to front a band and release an album. Well, that day has finally come and the results are exactly what one would expect from an aging heavy metal fan making dad jokes set to generic rock music. Listening to Songs from the Garage gave me an even greater appreciation for comedy bands that get it right. That may not even be the correct term. Steel Panther is a great comparison here. They write silly lyrics but in a completely sincere way; they back those lyrics up with great musical talent. Breuer and friends here do this, without the sincerity and talent. Don’t get me wrong, the music here is well done if not a bit generic. Drummer Mike Tichy, bassist Joe Vigliotti and Rob Caggiano (of Anthrax fame) are certainly skilled musicians. The end product here is just rather bland radio-flavored rock.
The saving grace should be Jim’s comedy infused lyrics; this however is not the case. The jokes all fall rather flat and play out more like the episode where Homer Simpson goes to rock & roll fantasy camp. The entire release reeks of effort and not in the positive way. I hate to keep paralleling Steel Panther but that is exactly what this feels like. Imagine someone took them and instead of a glam parody just riffed on 80’s metal in general. Then take away the humor and make sure that the entire release is basically family friendly and that is exactly what you have here. The guest appearance from Brian Johnson of ACDC on Mr. Rock & Roll is so formulaic it is painful. “I’ll show you how it’s done I’ve still got gas in my tank”; riddled with contrived lyrics that range from cringe-worthy to downright painful.
In the end we are left with what would have been a terrible indulgence for someone with enough money to put out an album just because. This will appeal to Jim’s die-hard fans and no one else.
