Rize of the Fenix

by Tenacious D

Overview

It's no mystery why Tenacious D call their third album Rize of the Fenix. JB and KG suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune when they unleashed The Pick of Destiny in 2006, a feature film -- complete with an accompanying soundtrack -- that netted approximately no new fans and may even have cost them a few. Well aware of this bomb, it's imperative that the D fashion their third album -- arriving a long six years after Pick -- as a triumphant comeback, a Fenix rising from the ashes, if you will. And, for the most part, the D do succeed, the best moments of Rize of the Fenix easily flattening the bloat of The Pick of Destiny. If they happen to lose a bit of their sense of rampaging grandeur, they compensate with tightly constructed epics that impress by their lack of fat: the title-track suite gallops along with purpose, "To Be the Best" is a gleeful send-up of "The Power" (animated Transformers by way of Boogie Nights), "Roadie" is a heartfelt salute to its overlooked namesake, and country-rock closer "39" is an ode to an aging groupie. This is all, in the parlance of another of the album's highlights, "Low Hangin' Fruit." Tenacious D don't stray from their songs of rock & roll and songs of themselves, but considering the pit that they were in, they can't be faulted for being overly careful, even if that caution can make parts of the album -- namely the spoken skits, the staged blow-ups between Hollywood Jack and Rage Kage, and a few of the songs about rocking -- feel a little long in tooth. Nevertheless, Rize of the Fenix does amount to a rousing comeback for Tenacious D: they're back to their old tricks, oblivious to whether the world at large actually cares about their shenanigans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	05/17/2024
Label:	Columbia / Sony Music
UPC:	0886919523218
Rank:	32343

Tracks

1. Rize of the Fenix
2. Low Hangin' Fruit
3. Classical Teacher
4. Se¿¿orita
5. Deth Starr
6. Roadie
7. Flutes & Trombones
8. The Ballad of Hollywood Jack and the Rage Kage
9. Throw Down
10. Rock is Dead
11. They Fucked Our Asses
12. To Be the Best
13. 39

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Tenacious D   Primary Artist
John Kimbrough   Mellotron,Synthesizer,Guitar (Acoustic),Snaps,Clapping,Stomping
John Spiker   Bass,Organ,Piano,Clapping,Stomping,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Chris Bautista   Trumpet
Christopher Wray   Pedal Steel
Scott Seiver   Drums,Percussion
Page McConnell   Synthesizer
Jack Black   Snaps,Vocals,Clapping,Guitar (Acoustic)
Dave Grohl   Drums
Jon Brion   Bass,Mellotron,Synthesizer
Kyle Gass   Flute,Snaps,Vocals,Clapping,Recorder,Percussion,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
John Konesky   Guitar,Clapping,Stomping,Lap Steel Guitar,Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Nylon String)
Jody Hill   Director
Mike Hoy   Trombone

Technical Credits

Rebel Steiner   Legal Counsel
Christina Courtier   Management
J.D. Ryznar   Composer
Jon Dawes   Producer
John Kimbrough   Programming,Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements,Composer,Producer
John King   Producer
John Spiker   Mixing,Engineer,Programming,Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Josh Wilbur   Engineer
Andrew Gross   String Arrangements
Jim Krewson   Illustrations
Mark Kaplan   Management
Bob Odenkirk   Composer
Andrew Clark   Assistant Engineer
Don Muller   Booking
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Jack Black   Composer
Kyle Gass   Composer