Ever since Bush first stormed their way into the homes and hearts of angry teenagers throughout America in 1994, fortune has never quite smiled the same way upon this grunge band from London.

Still limping from the critical accusations that tagged them "Nirvavawannabes," Bush – possibly the most powerful force in post-grunge – have fought an uphill battle almost since the very beginning. Unfortunately, Golden State, the group's best attempt to return to the explosive power and emotion of their '94 smash Sixteen Stone, doesn't do a whole lot to improve their disposition.

A lot has happened since 1994 though. This is not the same Bush that seemingly ripped out heavy hitting grunge anthems like "Everything Zen" and "Comedown" without effort. Bush have grown, matured — not to mention signed with Atlantic Records. That's right, Bush signed with the big boys. The thing is, Bush's sound hasn't changed … at all.

With the exceptions of the catchy, melodic "Superman" and the punk-oriented "My Engine is With You," Golden State is horribly predictable and an overall stale record for Bush. Gone are the subtle electronic tweeks and twinges of 1997's Deconstructed and 1999's The Science of Things, replaced by more of the same pulsing waves of heavy guitar crunch and pessimistic, hollow lyrics, "I could be right/ I could be wrong/ but do you think we'll make it out alive" that Bush has always fallen back on.

Song after song, the sound of Golden State just becomes repetitive. It's actually hard to make it farther than six or seven tracks into the album, because it just gets sort of ... well, boring.

The album opens with "Solutions," a song that actually manages to trick its listener into believing Bush has finally acquired some new tricks. A soft, floating melodic guitar opens the album, hinting at a new found sense of melody and an underlying intensity and emotional front that have been noticeably absent in recent releases. Unfortunately, it's all just a tease. The song quickly devolves back to the same lamenting vocals and gigantic guitar so heavily used on every Bush album, completely abandoning what could have developed into something fresh and actually worth taking notice of.

The first single off Golden State, "The People That We Love," doesn't fair much better. Rather than a song of its own accord, the track seems almost a mere tribute to the heavy, pulsing guitar and start-stop dynamics that were made so famous by songs like "Machinehead" and "Everything Zen."

"Out of This World," is Golden State's version of Sixteen Stone's No. 1 single, "Glycerine." This "atmospheric" peice is slow and emotion heavy, and is almost painful to listen to. Where "Glycerine" moved its audience, "Out of This World" drags its liseners, against their will, down a long and pointless path that doesn't really lead anywhere.

In a music world overcrowded with imitators, Bush needs to be pressing forward, not simply reflecting their own past.

Though, in Bush's defense, Golden State is not a horrible album. It's just not a great album. Songs like "Superman" and "Hurricane" pack a pretty powerful punch, and were mixed well. On "My Engine is With You," Bush does its best imitation of a punk band, and aren't half bad at it. The quick, sharp quitar riffs serve as a much needed break from lead guitarist Nigel Pulsford's clever, but all too familar, huge pulsating guitar sound. Other than these few songs, however, not much really stands out on Golden State.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with following a successful formula, as long as you don't get lazy and forget why that forumla worked in the first place.

"It's a very naked record," vocalist Gavin Rossdale said of Golden State. "Definitely a real rock record. It's such a rock record it even surprised us."

Rossdale is absolutely right, Golden State is a real rock record. It is honestly a pretty decent rock record. What Rossdale neglects to mention, is that Bush have already released this "real rock record" — numerous times, under numerous titles. Once it was called Razorblade Suitcase, another time it was called The Science of Things ... well, you get the point.

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