Life

Dope was never known for its originality, and on Life, the band manages to maintain its reputation as a pale Marilyn Manson clone. Of course, due to the musical climate of 2001, there are some rap-metal touches that manage to further blur the music. "Die MF Die" is a perfect example of this; every aspect of the song seems artificial, from the processed "angry" vocals to the over-produced guitars to the generically rebellious lyrics. With so many other bands making the same sort of noise with better songs and lyrics, it is very hard to understand how this band can get away with being so unoriginal. There are even several radio-friendly metal songs that just beg for regular rotation. The most guilty offender is "With or Without You," a terrible song that has some of the most mind-numbing lyrics on the album ("I can't see you anymore/I can't leave right out the door") and a simplistic, obnoxious hook that is repeated several times. This is simply too boring to recommend to anyone but the most dedicated fans of the last album.