Released: 2024
Genres: Alternative Rock, Hard Rock
The Musiquarium’s Dark Matter Review Score: 6 out of 10
Pearl Jam’s previous album, Gigaton, was their worst yet. It was boring and even cringey at times. On Dark Matter, the Seattle rockers sound more revitalized, with much more energy and spirit on display, though it’s still a footnote compared to their classic albums from the grunge era.
Scared of Fear begins the album with some ambience, giving the impression that perhaps the band is trying something new here, but then it launches right into a very conventional Pearl Jam song, with the rest of the album never straying from their usual formula. There’s nothing atrocious like on Gigaton, and nothing quite as pop-leaning as some of the songs on Backspacer, but it’s just completely forgettable.
There are no surprises here and a lot of the album falls into the category of Pearl Jam album filler, but these songs at least have more passion than what was found on their last record, Gigaton.
For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Pearl Jam on Discogs.
Back to the 2024 Album Guide or the Pearl Jam Reviews page.
Written by Brett Nippard
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