Years ago Dexter Holland said in an interview that he doesn't see himself being 40 years old and yelling, "You stupid dumbshit goddam motherfucker..."("Bad Habit"). Well, the dude is gonna mark 43 this December, so it is not that big of a surprise that "Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace" sounds a little different from previous releases by The Offspring. Right from the opener "Half-Truism" you can feel the influence of the hand responsible for Bon Jovi and the black Metallica - producer Bob Rock. The Offspring's typical punk rock fury is still present with all the angry lyrics and clenched fists, but in a more modest, old-school rock way. In "You Look a Lot Like Me" they even go gentle alternative on us, as the song features keyboards and an almost mechanical rhythm. We also have the equivalent of a rock power ballad in "Fix You". Then again "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" features some surprisingly dynamic drum work (for The Offspring's standards), but the album also features a new drummer. And it's not like the CD is some sort of a 180 degree turn style-wise, but for example there is no sign of trademark happy hits like "Original Prankster" and "Pretty Fly for a White Guy". And while that may let some people down, I never thought the band's real fans were ever really that excited about these songs to begin with. And it's not like there are no songs that are in the vein of The Offspring's earlier works - "Trust in You", "Let's Hear it for Rock Bottom" and "Rise and Fall". Just before the inevitable moment when their hairs get gray and their career is almost over, The Offspring come up with an album that shows a desire for development and writing music that is in tone with what they are - veterans. And it would've been funny to watch 40-plus-year-old men acting like angry teenage punks. Quite the contrary - "Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace" is a more mature, less commercial album. An album that is for the band's true fans rather than for some random people drooling in front of the MTV.