Artist: Van Halen 
Cd Title: Van Halen III
Label: Warner Brothers

Tracks: 
Neworld
Without You
One I Want 
From Afar
Dirty Water Dog
Once
Fire in the Hole
Josephina
Year to the Day
Primary
Ballot or the Bullet
How Many Say I

I was among the many Van Halen fans that was excited when the news broke of David Lee Roth rejoining the band. I thought finally Classic Van Halen again!!! Memories of the US festival and the debut album came rushing back to me.  

Well as Rock history has now written Roth only was with the band long enough to record tracks for the Greatest hits record. Van Halen recruited Gary Cherone, the former singer for Extreme, to take the departed Sammy Hagar’s place. Well Van Halen III is the first disc from the new lineup, and hopefully the last. I could give a one-word review of this disc. “CRAP”. 

The new singer Cherone did an excellent job of cloning Sammy Hagar’s voice, but it makes one wonder why the band bothered hiring him in the first place? Why settle for a cheap imitation of the original? 

The songs are so uninspiring; that the tape used to record them could have served a better purpose as the source for the New Kids on the Block reunion disc. 

The first track Nuworld is by far the best on this disc. Although the melodic guitars give little clue that it is the legendary Eddie Van Halen playing, this is by far one of the only songs worth listening to twice. Without you starts this CD on its path to mediocrity, the guitar riffs are tired, the vocals uninspired, this is just a rehash of the past three Van Halen records, I could not tell that they had a new vocalist. 

I will not torture you with any more, I must say that I was not one of the biggest fans of Sammy’s Voice. Therefore, Cherone’s Sammy sound alike vocals did not score many points with me. This CD was formula through and through. It just might be time for Van Halen to hang it up, if this is the best they can offer their fans. 

Where is Diamond Dave now that we really need him?