At the height of the early 00s’ nu metal boom, it was Alien Ant Farm’s tongue- in-cheek cover of Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal that temporarily turned the California veterans into one of the hottest bands in rock. Twenty-three years later, as they return with their first album in nine years, not only is it still one of the best rock covers of all time, it remains their commercial peak.
With the nu metal revival currently in full swing, it would be easy to view this well-timed reunion through cynical eyes, but in truth, the tag never felt like
a comfortable fit. There was always more going on in AAF’s sound than they got credit for, with reggae, pop punk, alt rock and even jazz, courtesy of drummer Michael Cosgrove, simmering in their sonic blend. All of this is on display as opener The Wrong Things rolls in on sun-dappled guitar and drums. That said, nostalgia is big business, and ~mAntras~ is swimming in it. Most of these tracks don’t even pretend to chase modern trends. Dryden Mitchell’s voice, which still sounds remarkably crisp and distinctive, immediately unlocks a million teenage memories. Last dAntz sounds like the band’s vastly superior ‘other’ hit, Movies, mixed with the glitz and the glam of early The Killers, while singles Fade and So Cold are both equal parts Papa Roach and Incubus with earworm choruses.
Tellingly, it’s when the band try to step out of their comfort zone that things become messy. The album’s closing title track descends into a tangle of percussion, overlaid vocals and rapping, which sounds like two songs playing at the same time. It doesn’t work, but doesn’t ruin what is an enjoyable comeback.
CKY is an American rock band from West Chester, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1998 by Deron Miller, Chad I Ginsburg and Jess Margera, the group released its first two albums Volume 1 and Volume 2 (a compilation of songs and skits from the first CKY video) on Teil Martin/Distant Recordings in 1999, supported by lead single "96 Quite Bitter Beings".[1] After signing with Island/Def Jam, the band followed their debuts up in 2002 with Infiltrate•Destroy•Rebuild, which was their first release to chart when it reached number 99 on the US Billboard 200 and number 108 on the UK Albums Chart.[2][3] Lead single "Familiar Realm" reached the US Mainstream Rock top 40.[4] In 2005, CKY issued An Answer Can Be Found and reached number 35 of the Billboard 200,[2] with "Familiar Realm" peaking at number 32 on the Mainstream Rock chart.[4]
With Matt Deis added as its first full-time bassist, CKY signed with Roadrunner Records in 2006 and released Carver City in 2009.[1] The album reached number 46 on the US Billboard 200,[2] number 4 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart,[5] and number 14 on the Top Rock Albums chart.[6] In March 2011, the group released its first career-retrospective album B-Sides & Rarities, followed by B-Sides & Rarities Volume II later in the year.[7] After continued tensions between band members, frontman Deron Miller left CKY in 2011; he was replaced by Daniel Davies for a number of shows in 2012 and later in 2015, before the group went on an extended hiatus.[8][9]
CKY returned in 2016 with Ginsburg taking over lead vocals, signing with Entertainment One Music and releasing The Phoenix in 2017.[10] The album was the band's first since its debut not to chart on the Billboard 200, although it did reach the top 20 of the Independent Albums chart.[11] The limited edition EP Too Precious to Kill was released in 2018 to support Record Store Day, featuring four new tracks.[12] In 2020, the group released a livestreamed show dubbed fuCKYou 2020 on vinyl.[13]