Rob's Album of The Week: Tenacious D's Rize Of The Fenix

It's been 6 years since their last record, The Pick of Destiny,  but "The D" is back with a brand new masterpiece that promises to rock your music lovin' ass to complete oblivion. Featuring the comical and musical genius of Jack Black and Kyle "Rage Cage" Gass, Tenacious D's Rize Of The Fenix continues the excellence that the amazing duo has been bringing to the musical forefront since their inception in Los Angeles in 1994. With a fiery winged, phallic-symbolized bird on the cover just to start, the epic rock n' roll that is exemplified in Rize Of The Fenix is as legendary as the ultimate goal of Tenacious D, which is to be "The Greatest Band in the World". The new record might not automatically put the duo on that pedestal, but they are definitely on the right track.

Starting back in 2006 when Black expressed his desire to take sometime off from acting along with Gass hinting that Tenacious D wanted to end at the top due to the success of The Pick of Destiny, Rize Of The Fenix serves as an allegory to Tenacious D rising from the ashes and rocking once again, and it couldn't have come at a better time. With some guy named Dave Grohl on drums backing up the dueling guitars of Black and Gass, the new record is flat out pristine with great songs, badass guitar riffs and a few laughs courtesy of a few skits featuring Black and Gass.

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- Rob Duguay

The obvious title track "Rize Of The Fenix" starts off the album perfectly with Black singing about how the media thought that "The D" was done, only for "The D" to rise again. "Deth Starr" is about how the world is going to hell and won't stand a chance when the apocalypse comes, so humanity has to build a Death Star in order to survive. "Roadie" is an ode to the guy who lugs the band's gear onto the stage in order for the show to start so the crowd can get rowdy and go crazy. "Throw Down" is a bluesy track with Black singing some old-school lyrics about how much the biblical Moses and Jesus kicked ass back in the day along with saying that mankind has to let go of religion and use their heads. "To Be The Best" is a parody of any song that's associated with the Rocky films, along with any 80's fighting movie (Bloodsport, Karate Kid, Best of The Best, etc.). "Rock Is Dead" is a jumpin' folk ditty about how rock n' roll is dead and how all it's history is in the past. As I mentioned before, here are also some funny skits like "Classical Teacher" where Black tells Gass how he wants to have the best f***in' band in the world but he feels that Gass needs lessons in order to tune his skills. Black then pretends he is the Spanish guitar aficionado Felix Char and weirds out Gass with sexual innuendos only to wake him up and shake his foundations. You know I always say this but it's true, don't take my opinion on just a select few and listen in to the album for yourself.

Currently Tenacious D is going to be embarking on a tour of The United States, Canada and Europe, starting at The Santa Barbara Bowl in Santa Barbara, CA on May 23 and ending at the San Diego State University Open Air Theatre in San Diego, CA on July 29th. While on tour, Tenacious D will be at The Bank of America Pavilion in Boston on July 2nd and The Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT on July 3rd, both shows any New England disciple of "The D" shouldn't miss. Until then, get yourself a copy of Tenacious D's Rize Of The Fenix and play it over and over again. It'll melt your brain and electrify your soul.