Japanese rockers ONE OK ROCK seem to have lost the ability to surprise on disappointing 11th album, DETOX.
DETOX arrives in conjunction with ONE OK ROCK’s 20th anniversary as a band. During their career, the Tokyo rockers have wowed the Warped Tour, released their own documentary, and played enormodomes in their native Japan – as well as sizeable venues far from home (including London’s OVO Arena Wembley last October). Listening to DETOX, a record full of assured anthems, it’s easy to see why they’ve achieved that success, even if this is far from their best effort.
Sadly, there’s little here to assure fans their heroes are pushing the envelope, or to ensnare the attention of new listeners. Or do much else. Like recent albums Ambitions (2017), Eye Of The Storm (2019) and Luxury Disease (2022), DETOX disappointingly arrives with a sense of playing it safe. Its big, glassy hooks and massive sheen are alluring enough, but almost entirely devoid of edge.
While NASTY and The Pilot </3 will make excellent additions to an already bustling setlist, the vacuous Tiny Pieces and +Matter have been done better by this band and countless others. There are flashes of greater promise, though, which only adds to the sense of frustration. C.U.R.I.O.S.I.T.Y., featuring Japanese rapper CHICO CARLITO and metallers Paledusk, stands head and shoulders above the rest of DETOX and will appeal to fans who discovered ONE OK ROCK via their singer Taka’s involvement in the Chester Bennington tribute concert in 2017.
It’s just a shame there’s nothing else here that’s as frenetic, fresh and irresistible. If there had been, DETOX might have been more than just OK.
Verdict: 2/5
For fans of: Linkin Park, Of Mice & Men, Man With A Mission
DETOX is out now via Fueled By Ramen.
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