Charlie is back!
Goldfinger, is one of my (3) favorite bands of ALL times, (Rancid & Less Than Jake)...
Wow, Charlie is back and he let them put out this peice of work as a full length CD. I feel cheated, only 12 tracks. 12 is a lullaby, so it doesn't count and track 11 "Free Kevin Jonas" is an old track they just slapped on the end.
This should have been an EP.

"Get up" is AWESOME! that is about it. All down hill from there. It's like, they didn't want to be bothered with making a reel piece of work. I guess they just threw some tracks together to make a few bucks, they did not bother to put any quality in the song writing.

These days with the Pro-tools, anyone can make great sounding recordings, but we need more great music compositions... and, well, looks like John and the boys are getting lazy.
Maybe John just needs a nice, juicy, large double cheese burger to inspire his song writing again. Like the old days...

Save your money!

From a long time Goldfinger fan... Lil' Gleason

A Return To Form
After Goldfinger's last two albums fell a little bit flat, feeling more like John Feldmann solo albums sometimes, this album is absolutely a treat for the ears. We see Goldfinger make a return to the old-school rock that made them popular, and while they've still retained some of the musicality from the last two albums, it doesn't make this album that much more the worse. If you liked old Goldfinger, you owe it to yourself to give this one a try.

There are a few tracks, such as "One More Time" and "Free Kevin Kjonaas", that feel a bit phoned in, but to be frank, even the worst on this album outstrips many tracks on Disconnection Notice, notably the entire second half of that album. Other tracks bring forth some above-average Goldfinger rock, such as "Goodbye"; this tracks seem to be most representative of the work on this album. You'll find them enjoyable, and while enjoyable doesn't do much for music on the whole, it's still fun and perfectly acceptable by my standards. Then there's an obligatory soldier's-point-of-view war song, "War", which isn't too bad but feels preachy, and a couple more-upbeat songs, "The Only One" and "How Do You Do It", which are less rocking but again, enjoyable (see above).

On the other hand, this time around Goldfinger really pounds out some fantastic tracks, better than they've done for years. "Without Me" starts off normal but soon becomes a very well-done song, definitely worthy of your listening time. "Get Up", the first ska track encountered on this album, is a delightful explosion of rock and melody that you'll become addicted to, while "Not Amused" is fast, ferocious and fantastic. "Bury Me" starts out a little unusual, but seriously grows on you; it sounds unlike things Goldfinger has done, and shows true originality that fills me to the brim with hope for future endeavors.

The biggest surprise? "Handjobs for Jesus", a song that came entirely out of left field. Questioning religious dogma and fundamentalism, this track experiments with musical styles, tempos, intensity, and all sorts of things; this potpourri of musical styles could easily have gone sour, but the end result is nothing short of extraordinary. This has to be one of my favorite Goldfinger songs.

This CD is a bit on the short side, clocking in at about 36 minutes, but at $9.99 it's still a fantastic buy. This is not the Goldfinger we heard back in 2005; this is a new and revitalized Goldfinger ready to kick punk/ska music in the pants, and I can only hope they continue in this direction. If you love Goldfinger, you need to get this album; you won't regret it.

Finally...my youth has returned! (^___^)


I was one of those who have grown up with GF...their Self-titled debut is one of my all time favorite albums and everything up until Open your Eyes, equally holds a special place in my heart. Then the troubled times started...for more reference, you can read the amazon customer reviews for Open your Eyes or Disconnection Notice to get an idea...or their Wiki page...anyways

Hello Destiny really is a return to form, and while the artwork reflects what my be something that will sound like their debut, this album actually sounds closest to both Hang-ups and Stomping Ground

what do I mean by that?

Production/mixing is excellent, with a great low-end, and has a sound like Stomping Ground with a few tracks standing out as something that could have come from Hang-ups
Highlights for me include EVERYTHING except the following:

Hand jobs for Jesus - yeah...i'm with others, in that, I don't get this track at all...the beginning has a great melody but then it quickly devoles into something ...else...and yeah, I'm actually an agnostic, so the in your face rant seemingly 'bout pro-atheism, is just a turn off for me. Also not fond of the guest vocal from the lady from Save Ferris. Overall...just a misplace track, but then again I can think of "Not your bro" from Stomping Ground making feel equally un-amused and just always skipping the track

Kevin Jonas - ...Also to much message for me...Instrumentation is ok though

War - ...I appreciate it's message, but the way it's handled is rather corny, as are most of the lyrics and the misplaced vocal from Ian Watkins

How do you do it - Almost a completely throwaway track with a weak chorus

Overall, 9 outta 12 tracks is great! and yes, the return of Charlie Paulson cannot be praised enough...

As far as where I put it right now for me? right behind Stomping Ground and ahead of Hang-ups

I was happy to see Charlie return but still dissapointed...
Listening to the cd for the first time, I am dissapointed. As a huge fan of the first two albums, I feel Hello Destiny really lacks creativity both in the music itself, and the lyrics. Many of the songs have a deeper meaning or are political (which I am not against) but they just fall short - a few of the songs are just poor like John or the band started to write the song and gave up halfway through! The tracks also lean towards the short side and the entire album is just over 36 minutes - I even feel a little cheated. Maybe this album will grow on me just a little bit, but I will most likely sell it and stick with the first two albums and Coconut.

FINALLY...A step in the right direction
I'm happy to report that my review for Hello Destiny is lightyears more positive than the one I wrote for Disconnection Notice. With the artwork being a dead giveaway, yes this is a return to the old school Goldfinger we once knew...well, slightly. First (and most obviously) the horns are back, if only in two songs. Get Up and The Only One harken back to the days of old (i.e. self-titled and Hang-Ups) delivering a catchy ska sound that the band lost 8 years ago. Before I go off on a tangent, lets talk about the differences between this album and the last two. I will start by saying that I am a bit biased because the first three albums are my absolute favorites. The fans all know that John Feldmann went vegan sometime after Stomping Ground and this personal vendetta spilled over into Goldfinger's music on Open Your Eyes. After that, John got a little bit preachy on Disconnection Notice (Wasted) and pretty cheesy (Stalker). It seemed that Goldfinger had lost the fun aspect of their music leaving us with bland radio-friendly fodder. Well, now with Charlie Paulson back into the fold, the band has released their first (mostly) inspired album since Stomping Ground. Songs like One More Time, Bury Me, Withou Me, and Not Amused really makes this album a great listen with their energetic groove and nostalgic feel. It almost feels like 1996 again. However, there are a few tunes that are kinda bland. Tracks like How Do You Do It and Goodbye leave a lot to be desired as they are just "there" and don't really stand out has superior punk tunes, average really. There are two songs that re-hash what John said about animal cruelty on Open Your Eyes: Get Up is an anti animal experimentation song, while Free Kevin Kjonaas is a song about the imprisoned animal rights activist. The only compaint I ever had with these songs is that it detracted from the lyrical topics that made Goldfinger enjoyable in the first place. I'm happy that John has chosen to stand up for defenseless animals, but Goldfinger is best when they are singing about fun in the sun, crappy relationships, skatboarding and perseverance. Thats the Goldfinger I loved anyway. There is also an anti-war song called War (surprised?). It is a good song with lots of back-up vocals during the verses. Good song (my girlfriend calls War an "emo" song, she may be right heh.). The biggest surprise on here is Handjobs For Jesus. Wow....just...wow. This songs will have you guessing for days. It is a truly genre-bending track that changes speeds and styles many times before it is done. A very intricate and true song if I ever heard one. Definitely a songs for those of us that believe in atheist peace. Also, there are guest appearances on this album. I believe it is the singer from The Used on Not Amused? Anyway, it really doesnt detract from the music too much. So bottom line, if you are a Goldfinger fan from any (or all) albums you owe it to yourself to check out Hello Destiny. It is the best thing they have done in almost a decade and if this is any indication of the future for these middle-aged Cali punk rockers then the future looks bright and Goldfinger's days are long from over. Buy it now!

Take care.