Released: 2012

Genres: Comedy Rock

The Musiquarium’s Post-Apocalypto Review Score: 8 out of 10

The last time we saw Jack Black and Kyle Gass together was in 2006, when they released the Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny film and its accompanying soundtrack. That movie was a box office bomb, but has gone on to become a cult classic, up there with timeless music comedies like This Is Spinal Tap and School of Rock (the latter of which also stars Jack Black).

On Rize of the Fenix, the band is self-aware in recognizing their past commercial failures, but like their tenacity to perform a cock push-up (you could only do one, really), they are determined to rise from the ashes of their box office bomb. Low Hangin’ Fruit is a classless tale about JB and Kage looking for some easy action. Señorita is muito caliente, with JB challenging a man, who was dishonoured his woman, to a fight. Deth Starr is a mixture of sci-fi and vulgarity. Roadie is an ode to the unsung heroes of live music: the roadies.

The Ballad of Hollywood Jack and the Rage Kage details the schism between Jack Black’s burgeoning film career and his commitments to the band, and to Kyle Gas. They Fucked Our Asses is a short but epic song about those who have stood in the way of the D. To Be the Best sounds like something that would have been written (and probably rejected) for some sort of nineties kids’ cartoon, like Pokémon. 39 has JB offensively serenading his ageing woman, lacking any subtlety about her age. Unlike their first two albums, there are only two skits here, Classical Teacher and Flutes & Trombones, both of which are quite funny.

Rize of the Fenix is a fantastic Tenacious D album and is a more fleshed-out listening experience than The Pick of Destiny, as many of that album’s songs were brief, or lacked context outside of the film. It’s not quite as excellent as their debut, but it’s another quality release from the D.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Tenacious D on Discogs.

Back to the 2012 Album Guide or the Tenacious D Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard