“Oh wait, CKY. They’re that band from Jackass – right?” Ladies and gentlemen, do not feel ashamed if that is the only remembrance you have of this alternative rock band. They’ve been on hiatus for roughly 8 years since the release of their 2009 album Carver City (Roadrunner) and it seems Deron Miller and Chad I Ginsburg have found the solution to their never-ending saga of conflict and confrontation. CKY’s fifth studio album The Phoenix (Longbranch/SPV/eOne) to not only puts Ginsburg front and center, it puts Miller completely out altogether leaving the band as a trio alongside Jess Margera and Matt Deis.

However, this album doesn’t sound quite like the “revolution” it was anticipated to be. It sounds like nothing has changed. It simply sounds like the same old CKY with an emphasis on mainstream appeal. From the start, it is very clear why ‘Replaceable’ was chosen as one of CKY’s singles. It’s one of the few high points on The Phoenix with its heavily distorted yet catchy guitar melodies followed by that pop rock drum riff guaranteed to be irresistible to most mainstream rock stations.

If there’s one thing I can say without a doubt, the general riffage throughout this album is perfectly constructed to appeal to the ear but, at the same time, has been done by many before. ‘The Other Ones’ is another track worth highlighting for its infectious groove from beginning to end and although the song structures throughout The Phoenix is as basic as it gets, the well-balanced and clean production makes it stand out just a tad from the rest.

Vocal ability and diversity have always been CKY’s nemeses, often being shadowed by the backdrop of highly effect-driven musicality leading to the listener completely forgetting how non-versatile and average the vocals consistently tend to be. And unfortunately, this aspect did not change even with Ginsburg newly at its forefront. It even seems like there’s major effort to overcompensate by trying too hard to sound cool and edgy while still being heavily assisted with layered vocal effects and artificial harmonies such as in ‘Days of Self Destruction’.

Overall, The Phoenix is a satisfactory body of work and it’s questionable whether it will onboard new fans but it might just be what the CKY Alliance (CKY fanbase) has waited for.

6.0/10

EBONIE BUTLER