Coming out of Canada, Finger Eleven are a band with a rather lengthy history behind them. In fact, their history spans over 3 decades, back to a time before they even were known as Finger Eleven. Probably something many did not know, however, the story of Finger Eleven as we know it truly began in 1997 with the debut album Tip. Creating a swirl among a selection of listeners at the time, this led into Alternative Metal fan-favorite, 2000’s The Greyest of Blue Skies.
From this point on Finger Eleven’s success continued to blossom; going into their 2003 self-titled record, followed by 2007’s Them vs. You vs. Me, and 2010’s Life Turns Electric. Since those days the band put out Five Crooked Lines in 2015, but nothing since then. However, having built themselves a rather rich background over the last couple of decades, complete with a list of chart-topping radio hits, it seemed like the time was right to put together a greatest hits album.
Doing just that, Finger Eleven – Scott Anderson (vocals), James Black (guitar), Rick Jackett (guitar), Sean Anderson (bass), and newest member, Steve Molella (drums) – plotted 2023 to put out the new compilation album simply entitled Greatest Hits. Released digitally and on CD as of June 16th through Craft Recordings, but also to vinyl on August 25th, the album encompasses 12 tracks that include the hits, but also some newly released bonuses. From the hits, of course you have “Good Times,” mainstream mega hits “Paralyzer” and “One Thing,” plus others such as “Falling On” and “Living in a Dream.” Amidst these, you also have older favorites like “Drag You Down” and “Above” reminding you of the band’s earlier beginnings.
Beyond these, you also have “Slow Chemical,” a 2002 track which was also featured on 2004’s Punisher film soundtrack, a previously-unreleased solid cover of Pink Floyd’s 1975 track “Welcome to the Machine,” plus a brand-new song called “Together Right.” Some great extras, the true winner here is the inclusion of “Together Right.” The first new Finger Eleven song in 7 long years, it is a great presentation of their older heaviness matched with a modern flare and overall positive message. This in mind, we can only hope that this new single is only a sample of some new material the band has completed, or has in the works.
Everything considered, Finger Eleven’s Greatest Hits is a worthy compilation of some of the band’s boldest moments. It covers pretty much all areas of their discography; although it would have been great to see 2000’s “Suffocate,” which also made an appearance on Scream 3’s soundtrack included. Nonetheless, it is a balanced listen that will even engage the casual fan. That is why Cryptic Rock gives this album 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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