Note: I reviewed the "clean" version of this album -- just in case anyone was wondering.

Let's start with the name of the album.  Being an old Led Zeppelin fan, the first thought that came to my mind was their Swan Song album.  However, looking at the group on the cover, you can tell that this is most definitely not a Zep album.  I must admit, until I was asked to do the review of this album, I had never heard of Hollywood Undead. However, the group already has a fan base millions strong.

After listening to the album a few times, I am still not sure if I like it or not.  How can I say that?  Well there are some pretty good and catchy toons, the production of the songs is surprisingly good, but in many ways it sounds like an album that was created by a bunch of High School kids in a basement, and just spewing out vocals and instrumentals.  The music is a mixture of many genres and although I criticize other groups for having too many songs that sound the same on their albums, I cannot even say that the beginning of some songs are from the same genre as the middle or beginning of the same track.  The title of their MySpace page lists them as Hip-Hop / Alternative.  Although there are some hip-hop elements to the songs, with various raps placed throughout, the music, at least to my ear is just not hip-hop.  It is not alternative either, at least as I use the term, referring to alternative rock music.  Some songs do have a hard driving rock beat, however, it is too unique to be called alternative. Wikipedia says that their music is part emo, which I can see, but also metal, which it unequivocally is not. I guess I would call their music alternative hip-hop.  Hey, why not, it does have elements of both.

The music is fun to listen to.   Part of me remembers listening to the Beastie Boys for the first time back in the day, and they have that same fresh, fun sound, as the Boys had when they first came out.  You cannot say that the music itself is great music, but the songs from a listening standpoint are rather good.  I can see, especially with today's youth, how they have become so popular with an underground movement. However, now that they are emerging from the underground and hit it with a major label, how will it affect their music and their fan support?  Will they lose their edgy sound to appease the masses, or will the masses, just forget about them for the simple reason that they have become popular?

As a quick side note, you get access to a bonus area of the hollywoodundead.com website which includes downloadable two videos. The videos are for No.5 and Undead.