The Smashing Pumpkins have been on a hiatus for 7 years and many people have been skeptical about the new union. I say "new" union because only 2 of the original members are in the new ‘Pumpkins’. I think it’s obvious from “Zeitgeist” that the core members of the Smashing Pumpkins have always been Corgan and Chamberlin: Jimmy Chamberlin plays drums on the tracks and Billy Corgan plays everything else.

From the opening ‘Doomsday Clock’ you know that Billy hasn’t softened his love of harsh sounding guitars, but what sticks out most to me is the drumming. I’m no drummer but I find myself listening to the nuances in this track’s rhythm more and more each time. From the live performances on this tour so far, I’ve had big hopes for the studio versions of ‘Starz’ and ‘Bleeding the Orchid’. ‘Starz’ in the studio beats ‘Starz’ live in my opinion. The fitting interlude and synth-like guitar duet lines really shine. ‘Bleeding the Orchid’ didn’t impact me as much as the live version, however. I was used to hearing the other band members, Ginger Reyes and Lisa Harriton, doing backup vocals and hearing an army of Corgans instead just didn’t work for me. The epic ‘United States’ is a beast of a song. Having seen this song performed live, the studio version is nearly identical, even the apparent improvisation in middle of the 10-minute opus. One thing I have to mention is ‘Tarantula’. When I first heard this I wasn’t all that impressed with the “new Pumpkins sound” until it got to the first of several guitar solos. I knew then that they would be back in full force if this song was any standard to measure by.

I feel like there are some fillers on the disc, despite its previously mentioned gems. ‘(Come On) Let’s Go’ and ‘For God and Country’ didn’t seem to go anywhere but were redeemed by the finale, ‘Pomp and Circumstance’. A haunting melody wrung out by Billy’s voice is just a great way to end an album!

All in all, a good effort, even if it doesn’t compare to the previous complexity of “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” or the rocking nature of “Siamese Dream”. As long as the “Smashing Pumpkins” are synonymous with thoughtful lyrics, musical epics, and challenging what “rock music” is, I’ll be in line at their next album release party.