Scott Weiland disowned
Art of Anarchy's debut upon its June 2015 release and died a few months later. Clearly,
Art of Anarchy were in need of a new singer, and they found one in
Scott Stapp. The former
Creed singer hadn't been up to much since 2013, when he released his second solo album,
Proof of Life, and he was a good match for the Y2K metallic grind the
Votta brothers,
Bumblefoot, and
John Moyer crank out. Without
Weiland,
Art of Anarchy aren't as melodic as they were back in 2015, but his ghost can be felt on the almost psychedelic "1000 Degrees" and the slow churn of "Somber." Elsewhere,
Stapp makes his presence felt via power ballads -- "No Surrender" could've slid onto a
Creed album at the dawn of the 2000s -- and throwing himself into rockers designed for stadiums but destined to be heard in clubs. All this adds up to a record that's much like the band's debut: a confident, brawny, professional hard rock record that doesn't pander to trends and stays true to the group's alt-metal roots.