White Pigs ~ Songs Of Sin (album review) ... When underground metal meant cassettes!

Style: thrash, speed, heavy metal, black metal
Label: Songs Of Sin
Year: 1985
Home: n/a

Members: Brian Ripthroat ~ vocals
Keith Grave ~ bass
Steve Bertrand ~ guitar
Peter Clarke ~ drums

Those who have a passion for digging up bands from the deep vaults of the music world ... or where demo cassettes go to die ... might be familiar with WP whose thrash cover of the "Munsters Theme" from their only full length release pulls them up from the heap a couple inches. It's certainly an incentive to check out WP when coming across them, as it was for me, but this one track should not be the deciding factor to spend 30 minutes with WP ... but certainly a minute & a half distorted guitar driven riff on the "Munsters Theme" is a fun listen ... even if it would sound better on a retro surf record & has by numerous surf bands. It's ironic that it's that these little tracks that are meant to be a highlight often end up being a throwaway in comparison to what bookends them. With a few demo recordings, some split albums, a couple reissues, songs appearing on some compilations & this sole full-length as the sole offering of WP the band often gets credited by unofficial underground rock historians as a punk band, but there's far more whammy bar thrash/speed metal & Satanic lyrics here than punk influence ... plus there's the very un-punk song "Heavy Metal". But, then, punk tends to be a hoisted on any band that's got low production values & a growl ... though in 1985 it was also probably the label that got more respect as thrash/black metal were still primal & influencing within but not outside the hard rock community. Though, between WP's formation in 1980 that included a single performance, a reformation two years later by the bassist & the release of Songs Of Sin they'd already had three distinct line-ups so at one point the band might have been more punk than metal. But, guitarist number three Steve Bertrand is undoubtedly more influenced by Van Halen than the Ramones. Rock historians also like to talk about WP's humor, as evidenced in the band's racially sounding name which is actually a teasing nickname of a neighborhood dog & continued through playful thrash & death metal workouts. If Songs Of Sin is making fun of thrash & black metal its doing so in a Spinal Tap or perhaps Anvil sort of way ... just remember no matter how comical Spinal Tap might be the guys are pro musicians who know how to rock & what makes them comical is not the music but how over the top, & accurate, they get in their imitation. Yes, the growling vocal style of Brian Ripthroat is undoubtedly drawn from black metal, though its more akin to Jon Oliva of Savatage at times, while it may not have the bite or anger of true black metal, or even punk for that matter, thus ends up sounding more comical than serious. But, on the other hand, WP is far more listenable than stereotypical early 80's black metal guttural growls & unmelodic untechnical guitar blasts. So, if it's a joke it's only because they're trying to hard to sound authentic & might be trying too hard. You can image a young Bertrand running riffs in his bedroom, listening to Vai or Yngwie & working hard to master some finger run that doesn't sound as difficult as it looks and then handing this album out to his friends so they can witness the next big guitarist. Following this release bassist Keith Grave, the only member from the original 1980 line-up, was dismissed from his own band. With a new bassist, line-up number four, they'd make some new recordings for an EP before calling it a day in 1988 & fading into obscurity. As it was, by then the days of this type of underground metal were coming to an end. Rest in peace ye songs of sin.

Omission ~ Thrash Metal Is Violence (album review) ... Thrash metal from Spain!

Style: thrash, heavy metal
Label: Xtreem Music
Year: 2010
Home: Spain

Members:Patillas ~ guitar/vocals
Julito ~ bass
Juanjo ~ drums
Marco ~ lead guitar

Mixing together thrash & black metal, with a few old metal clichés for good luck including death/destruction & lots of hate & anger, comes Omission's latest release Thrash Metal Is Violence featuring their brand of Satanic speed metal. They've been together since 2002, but Thrash Metal Is Violence is Omission's first full-length album following some demos, single tracks & music for a porno. Thrash Metal Is Violence was originally came out as a self-released 500 piece run in 2009, but was so well received that when Omission joined the Xtreem Records family the album was reissued with mass distribution worldwide with two bonus live tracks. It's a rare moment when a new record label chooses to reissue old material from a new band on the roster ... showing the attractiveness & power of Thrash Metal Is Violence. For those looking for the thrash on the Satyricon end of the spectrum, early Satyricon, over the Megadeth style of thrash Omission is a band to check out. This is extreme fast & furious thrash not full of fancy pyrotechnics. It's old-fashioned gutter level heavy riffing, wild solos, double bass drumming & screaming/growling vocals. A lot of thrash bands tends to be too furious & fast for their own good, becoming muddy akin to black metal, leaving anything but the most hardcore thrash fan feeling alienated. I'm often one of those listeners who prefers something more melodic & less stereotypical ... later Sayricon, who've I've even seen in concert even ... but Omission, against stereotype & potential expectations, is an enjoyable listen that is raw & rough in a non-alienating way while the vocals remain understandable. There's no new ground here while the songs tend to migrate together sounding like one long attack, occasionally broken up by a welcome break in the drumming or an interesting but all too short bridge that has the potential to be developed into a chorus. But, if you like one song you won't be disappointed by what follows. One interesting addition is an instrumental track. It's not some strange experimental song, but basically, the same thrashy riffing, just with no lyrics. Thrash isn't the type of music one usually sees as having instrumental potential, but it does provide a nice interlude in between heavy songs. The live tracks, aka bonus tracks, concluding the album are unnecessary additions to a strong album but its always nice hearing a band in the less polished live setting. Though, what would have been a great alternative bonus would have been the early demos by the band from previous line-ups.

The Militants ~ One Nation Under Death (album review) ... Time does not heal musical wounds!

Style: heavy metal, black metal, death metal
Label: self-released
Year: 2007
Home: Los Angeles, California

Members: Charlie Zeigler ~ vocals/drum programming/keyboards
Horace Miller ~ guitars/bass

Additional: Amanda Mullins ~ bass

The Miltants have put together a slab of disturbingly brutal & lyrically pessimistic metal on their fourth release, inspired by Pantera, Slayer, Carcass & other blacker-than-thou & madder-than-thou bands not for the faint of heart. It's a cold day in Hell, or more properly for society-at-large for the duo of Charlie Zeigler & Horace Miller who want you to clearly know of their anger through traditional speed metal riffs & shouted lyrics of destruction. Their lyrics tell all you need to know of their state of mind: "Bullet Speed", "Time Does Not Heal", "Collecting Skulls", "Snake Versus God", "Paranoia On The Loose", "Virus Feeds" & "Empty Inside" plus the title track. But, it's destruction that is actually revolution in disguise as they sing of the end but also of a reinvention & something better in the future, as the sung in "D'Spirited": "I am the seed of a new beginning/dark evolution/genesis of fire." The Militants aren't braving any new musical ground, particularly with only two guys making all the noise & anyone else but a guest or touring member the rhythm tracks are weaker than with a full band, while the lyrics are more often than not drawing on cliched death metal topics, but they guys are having fun with their chunk of metal & that's essentially what metal is all about.

Nine Inch Nails ~ Pretty Hate Machine (album review) ... So much beauty in such a small package!

Style: industrial, experimental, heavy metal
Label: TVT Records
Year: 1989
Home: n/a

Members: Trent Reznor ~ all instruments

Additional: Richard Patrick ~ guitar

Is there an industrial metal album as influential, if not as well-known outside of the genre, as Pretty Hate Machine, which set a new bar for not just industrial but rock music in general? Industrial music is usually known for its sheering wall of alienating unemotional sounds that imitate what the genre is named after, but Pretty Hate Machine sounds anything like a machine, nor alienating, nor unemotional. I'll even confess to having sex to this album, the first time I heard it complete, as its emotional overtures were perfect for the moment, let alone being rhythmically relevant. For an album made up of electronic keyboards, drums & distorted guitars it unexpectantly creeps up & sucks the listener in ... who before long might even be singing along. What makes it so powerful, let alone just haunting, is the space between the notes. So much industrial aims for an onslaught of layered sounds without understanding the balance between thick musical walls & thin almost transparent moments. This is the key to so many bands, going back to Led Zeppelin & Black Sabbath - knowing when to let the onslaught up because a few basic sounds can be just as numbing as a wall of speed. Lou Reed proved a long time ago that a little distortion goes a long way. Pretty Hate Machine further takes industrial metal into a new direction as Trent Reznor's lyrics of pain & sorrow bring a new emotion to the music in a way industrial had never been able to achieve before. In that sense, it actually draws more from the cold music of the synth-pop electric minimalism movement, more than prominently noticeable in Pretty Hate Machine, than any of the industrial metal that it supposedly is associated with with an array of untouchable heart-wrenching ballads (i.e. "Sanctified", "Something I Can Never Have", "That's What I Get") that would make Gary Numan proud while adding a new dimension to industrial metal. Textures is the key word here. It's a mix of ingredients that might have failed if put in the hands of any less of a genius.

Shayfer James ~ The Owl And The Elephant (album review) ... Life is quirky & beautiful with this piano man!

Style: folk rock, experimental
Label: Strike Line Media
Year: 2010
Home: New Jersey

Members: Shayfer James ~ vocals/piano
Dusty Bones ~ drums
Anna Gale ~ cello
Chris Hower ~ bass

Additional: Peter Horn ~ violin
Alex Raunjak ~ bass
Ian Scratch, Dony Wynn ~ drums
Sarah Zar ~ saw

Following a string section plucking out the sound of rain & a drum roll comes "I think I've found a passage out of here/maybe we could make our great escape/you didn't think we'd make it, did you dear/somewhere in this dark you lost your faith" opening the album via "Life Is Beautiful" sung over a pounding piano with a only a couple chords per bar, a trademarkable playing technique by James that recalls days of Seeger & Guthrie-esque travelling balladeers. From there the story unfolds in this noirpop, as James labels himself, landscape. 'Story' is the key word considering the linear notes read "all stories written & arranged". It's a story much in the same way that one uses the word when talking about Tom Waits, whose sound is very different though his early albums are a close cousin, but both Waits & James have created albums of mini-worlds, hopes & dreams over unique memorable rhythm arrangements using a scarcity of instruments that sound like their out of another time. British writer G.K. Chesterton once wrote that a miracle is the fact that the sun always rises & sets in the same way because to all logic it should eventually break the routine. In Shayfer's landscape, in Chestertonian spirit, the world itself is a miracle where the unexpected is the only thing to be expected & the intertwined spirit of hope & pain is as normal as salt & pepper. This is not one of those albums that you can listen to in the background or pull out a single or two ... there are no standout tracks just ten great tracks ... because, like Tom Waits, you've really got to just let this spin around & around on your player & really give it some attention. Don't worry about getting tired of it. It's one of those rare albums that you can listen to over & over & won't ever tire of ... I know, I've done it in trying to find the right words for this review. 

Sin-Atra (album review) ... A good try, but full of sin!

Style: heavy metal
Label: Armoury Records
Year: 2011
Home: n/a

Members: Bob Kulick ~ guitars/b. vocals
Brett Chassen ~ drums/b. vocals
Billy Sheehan ~ bass
Doug Katsaros ~ keyboards

Additional: Andrea Becker ~ b. vocals

Guests: Ritchie Kotzen ~ guitar
Devin Townsend, Glenn Hughes, Geoff Tate, Dee Snider, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Robin Zander, Eric Martin, Joey Belladonna, Franky Perez, dUg Pinnick, Elias Soriano, Jani Lane ~ vocals

Guitarist Bob Kulick, brother of Kiss's Bruce Kulick, has created a second career producing an ongoing series of cover/tribute albums, such as for Metallica & Aerosmith, featuring many of his musical friends in unusual one-time only line-ups. The talent has never been less than top rate though the results have been mixed. In previous efforts Kulick as set up a different band for each song making every song star-studded & unique, but in his newest tribute executive producer duties have been handed over to others, including Ronnie James Dio widow Wendy Dio, allowing him to front a band that is featured on every track with only the vocalist changing on each song. With a single band the sound is much more even from song to song than on past albums, which often ended up feeling like compilations with some line-ups stronger than others, but at the same time having a single band removes some of the unexpected diversity that previous tribute albums offered. Here each song is the same distorted guitar chugging. Even the inclusion of keyboard created horns, however odd at times, doesn't really make much of an impact though it's an interesting inclusion & when songs do stand out for their arrangements its often due to this inclusion. Sadly, the great Billy Sheehan is on bass but there's not much space given over to him to play in the upfront quasi-lead style he's known for, let alone giving the arrangements any breathing room. The songs themselves are untouchable classics, so essentially, the success of Sin-Atra lies wholly with the arrangements & singers. The vocalists, culled from the metal world, are under particular scrutiny as they are all performing in a musical style & with a band that doesn't match their known styles/bands. At times the result almost feels like an audition recording where everyone is straining to let their musical personality shine in the best way. Sadly, it's quickly noticeable who is straining, who has the pipes & who doesn't & who should stay within their usual musical context because their weaknesses become incredibly obvious. Not every voice is suited to every musical context, though one might want to think otherwise to be fair. Highlights include Devin Townsend of Strapping Young Lad (i.e. "New York, New York"), Eric Martin of Mr. Big (i.e. "Lady Is A Tramp"), Tim "Ripper" Owens of Judas Priest/Iced Earth ("Witchcraft") & Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple (i.e. "I’ve Got You Under My Skin"). The lesser known Franky Perez of Scars On Broadway puts in a real highlight with "High Hopes", probably because the album itself is a bit of a joke & Perez is one of the few to not take his rendition too seriously. More of the songs should have been treated with the same attitude & the highlights would have outweighed the lows. The worst songs suffer from over-the-top singing &/or poor arrangements, witnessed in "It Was A Very Good Year" with Dee Snider of Twisted Sister that sounds uncannily like an industrial version of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir". What might have made this better would be more melodic arrangements offering something behind the singers outside of just a rush of chords & muddy riffs. The album also features "Fly Me To The Moon" with Robin Zander of Cheap Trick, "Love & Marriage" with Elias Soriano of Nonpoint, "Strangers In The Night" with Joey Belladonna of Anthrax, "Summerwind" with Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche, "I’ve Got The World On A String" with dUg Pinnick of King’s X & "That’s Life" with Jani Lane of Warrant & the one outside guitar solo with Ritchie Kotzen of Poison/Mr. Big. Thankfully, no sign of "My Way". If you're a Sinatra fan will you like this? Probably not. Metal fan? You'll love the playing which is good if not always interesting & if your favorite singer is here - probably, though you may also find yourself laughing ... but, kudos to Bob & company for at least trying.

Michael Schenker Group ~ Assault Attack (album review) ... Your ears will never be the same!

Style: hard rock, power metal
Label: Chrysalis
Year: 1982
Home: England

Members: Michael Schenker ~ guitars
Graham Bonnet ~ vocals
Chris Glen ~ bass
Ted McKenna ~ drums
Additional: Tommy Eyre ~ keyboards

It had only been a few years since vocalist Graham Bonnet had been unceremoniously dismissed from Rainbow, where he made a name for himself as the replacement of Ronnie James Dio, when he briefly joined MSG. It was the perfect next step for both Bonnet & guitarist Schenker, who'd also not been long out of his own legacy making UFO & the Scorpions. In many ways it continues the nearly over-the-top & highly technical Richie Blackmore-esque wild guitar sound that Bonnet found in Rainbow & perfectly suits his vocal approach. The key with tenor Bonnet is he invests each song with its own personality letting the music possess him like a demon, much in the vein of other distinctive vocalists Alice Cooper & Jizzy Pearl of L.A. Guns, ranging from crooning to shouting with his familiar enunciation, unlike many musicians who seem to treat all songs the same & try to be the dominating instrument singing over the music not with it. Regretfully, Bonnet's legacy has been largely under-appreciated by anyone outside of the metal world ... the same for Schenker. Schenker is a wonderful musical foil for Bonnet, though Bonnet has repeatedly shown great taste in who he's worked as his later albums with Alcatrazz featuring the still largely unknown Steve Vai & Yngwie Malmsteen demonstrated. One of the problems with working with such an array of super talented & highly technical guitarists is that they often take the air itself for a ride ... basically, where ever there is empty air there's a tendency to want to fill it with unneeded flights of fancy. Schenker understands that sometimes it's good just to lay back, relax & take a breath once in a while, which also affects the other musicians in the band who respond accordingly. The result is that Assault Attack has some incredibly hard rock moments ("Assault Attack") while also some of the most relaxed moments in both men's careers, such as "Rock You To The Ground" that sounds so relaxed it's almost orgasmic while the slow groove of "Broken Promises" shows that rock doesn't have to be fast to be rocking. There is some more commercial sounding songs (i.e. "Dancer", "Samurai") that belay the era in which the album was made & now sound a bit dated, "Desert Song" would have been helped if given a more exotic/ethnic sound while the album ends with the unnecessary coda in the instrumental "Ulcer" considering Schenker has already showed off plenty & with more creativity previously. But, if you've only heard their names but not their music Assault Attack is a great starting place for two incredibly diverse but interesting careers & talents that for a moment in the early 80's lit off fireworks.

Sabaton ~ Coat Of Arms (album review) ... The battle rages on!

Style: power metal, heavy metal, progressive metal
Label: Nuclear Blast
Year: 2010
Home: Sweden

Members: Joakim Broden ~ vocals
Rickard Sunden, Oskar Montelius ~ guitars
Daniel Mullback ~ drums
Daniel Myhr ~ piano
Par Sundstrom ~ bass

Additional: Stefan Eriksson ~ guitar
Andy Setter, Kaj Podgorski ~ drums
Kjell Bergendahl, Hakan Danielsson, Bosse Gards, Christer Gards, Pelle Hinden, Maria Holzmann, Hannele Junkala, Frank Kooistra, Asa Osterlund, Jon Nilsson, Marie-Louise Stromqvist, Emil Wigelius, Andre Sandstrom, Pontus Lekaregård, Mia Mullback, Sofia Lundberg ~ b. vocals

There's a long-running stereotype that heavy metal doesn't have much intellectual depth. Some of it doesn't but this ignores bands like Megadeth, Rush or Iron Maiden who have some of the most intellectually challenging lyrics in music whatever the genre. Sweden's Sabaton continue this growing trend against the stereotype with a regular focus on songs about historical wars, which would put Iron Maiden songwriter Steve Harris either to shame or into a drooling fit given his love of historically based lyrics. Since their formation in 1999 Sabaton have paid tribute to wars, including people & places famous & not, which is the most unique attribute of the band. They are far from the only metal band to sing about wars, but nobody has filled numerous albums of only war songs like them. Coat Of Arms includes songs about: the Greco-Italian war during World War II, the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., the Battle of Midway, the Warsaw Uprising, the 101st Airborne Division & the Siege of Bastogne, the Nazis & the Holocaust, the Battle of Britain, the Norwegian heavy water sabotage at Vemork & famed Finnish sniper Simo Hayha. It's a bit of historical/intellectual gluttony. The resulting lyrics, though littered with historical references, still retains a bit of the stereotypical Manowar-esque approach of singing about saviors, death, fighting, governments & personal glory so you don't need a Master's degree to understand the result nor are the lyrics any more alienating than any other metal band. There is some variation not found elsewhere, such as "Wehrmacht" about the Nazis & the effects they had on ordinary German soldiers & "The Final Solution" describing entering the gates of Auszwitz & dying there in a haunting set of lyrics. There is some sense of gimmick at play here. Though, it's no different than the band Nile which sings about Ancient Egypt. It should be mentioned that Sabaton called upon fans to suggest what battles to sing about for this latest release. The problem is that the power metal underneath it all doesn't help towards giving it a personality above the gimmick while sometimes the lyrics are lost under the music so you're not going to get the ideas expressed via a first listen. As for the music it's a mix of the many speed power metal bands & Paul Di'Anno era Iron Maiden, sans the technical-mindedness of many of their peers. If one wants epic power metal Sabaton have brought it to a new level. It really isn't that difficult of a jump, they just backed up their warrior talk with actual events & heavy handed seriousness.

James Iha ~ Let It Come Down (album review) ... Smashing down the past!

Style: folk rock
Label: Virgin Records
Year: 1998
Home: n/a


Members: James Iha ~ vocals/guitars/bass

Neal Casal ~ guitar/b. vocals
Greg Leisz ~ lap steel guitar/guitars/bass
Adam Schlesinger ~ piano/bass
Solomon Snyder - bass
John Ginty ~ keyboards
Matt Walker ~ drums
Curt Bisquera ~ percussion
Eric Remschneider ~ cello
James Sanders, Stacia Spencer ~ violin
Jim Goodwin ~ sax
Ralph Rickert ~ trumpet
Nina Gordon, Tonya Lamm, Shawn Barton ~ b. vocals

Guest: D'arcy Wretzky ~ b. vocals

Few will probably come to Let It Come Down, the only solo album by guitarist James Iha, expecting something along the lines of his former, though at the time current, band the Smashing Pumpkins. As for those few who don't know that the the sound of the Pumpkins is largely dominated by frontman Billy Corgan, even if Iha is a co-founder ... don't expect Pumpkins Mach II on this release, or any any over-the-top smashing of any sort ... instead expect James Iha - the famed 'quiet one' of the Pumpkins who has more to share than ever allowed. Yes, one might be getting deja vu with another famed quiet one George Harrison. Any comparison would be accurate. While Lennon-McCartney wanted to write pop love songs, Harrison leaned toward self-questioning somber spiritual tunes using basic instrumentation. Iha does similar here. While, instead of the dark distorted angst of Pumpkins Iha creates a soft acoustic session that never would be possible with the Pumpkins. While bandmate Corgan tends to go for a progressive edge Iha aims for the folk music of Wilco or any of the folk rock bands where tender ballads with simple but memorable lines take dominance over fancy playing. If music could be called quiet, & that is quiet in a sense not in reference to volume, this is quiet music. There's no loud guitar solos & Iha isn't the greatest singer but his voice is perfect for the context he's created of a small ensemble of strings, repeated acoustic patterns, piano & generally light drumming. Let It Come Down sneaks up on the listener with its seemingly homespun appeal that is probably one of the least pretentious albums you've probably heard in a while with numerous standout tracks. Actually, one distant relative in sound & feeling is George Harrison's final outing Brainwashed, deja vu once again, even brought home on "Country Girl" that sounds like John Lennon is on vocals. In line with Harrison these aren't songs of social strife but of personal reflections ... they're love songs of hope & complacency ... both albums are modest little affairs that won't be rocking up the charts & are completely under-played by their more than competent creators but are comforting hours for a rainy night in the same way one might turn to a Paul Simon album ... & both are under-rated affairs that you very well might have missed when they hit the shelves but not through any fault of the music.

When Summer's Gone ~ Matinee (EP) (album review) ... Taking to the last midway!

Style: hard rock
Label: Last Stand Records
Year: 2010
Home: Pennsylvania

Members: Dave Graziani ~ vocals/guitar
Chris Lepri ~ drums/bass

Formed in 2007 WSG is one of the new breed of bands that has gained a fan base purely through online releases & not performing live ... not that they don't want to but with a two-man set-up it's more a game of logistics than initiative. Two years later they released their debut album, the simply named December, that cited Alice In Chains & Sevendust as inspiration with the storytelling of Springsteen thrown in. Basically ... heavy riffs & working class ideology, which is essentially no different than the fathers of modern metal Black Sabbath which was four boys playing music to avoid working in the factories where they might have their fingers cut off. Their Matinee five song EP is the follow-up to their debut. The guitar heavy music relies more on steady chords & riffs than solos or intricate playing, laying a backbone to the prominent feature of WSG - the lyrics. For example, "Down at the midway where we were still alive/This August night the summer sky reflects inside your eyes" is the chorus to "The Last Midway" or the opening lines to "King's Row" are "Grab the shovels, turn the key, kick the tires & this 68 Chevy will set us free/Asphalt rolling underneath, moon hanging in the autumn sky shines on these dead memories." The source of the Springsteen reference should become obvious with WSG's almost folksy love songs painting little scenes of lonely rooms. Sadly, the only weak part of WSG is the singing. It's not gritty like Springsteen, nor particularly distinct, nor even overly emotional. Dave Graziani does the job but is a better guitarist & songwriter than singer. A bit of a vocal dramatic boost, that's only occasionally hinted at, would go along way to having the singing lift the stories to a new emotional level.

Devo ~ Something For Everybody (album review) ... Music of the good old days everyone should hear!

Style: electronic, hard rock, new wave
Label: Warner Brothers
Year: 2010
Home: n/a

Members: Bob Casale ~ rhythm guitar/programming/b. vocals
Gerald V. Casale ~ vocals/bass
Josh Freese ~ drums
Bob Mothersbaugh ~ guitars/b. vocals
Mark Mothersbaugh ~ vocals/synthesizers

Additional: Jeff Friedl ~ drums
Van Coppock ~ guitar

Who else can sound like no time has passed but quirky Devo? I'm sure that wasn't your first guess, but after biting into this ninth release by them coming twenty years after their last effort Smooth Noodle Maps, you'll agree that they are one of the best answers next time you watch Jeopardy. The production might be more polished than past albums, Mark Mothersbaugh's voice is a bit deeper, the beats might owe more to current dancefloor DJ's then disco, while the guitar solos have an unexpected metal edge, but the music is the same quirky jerky new wave Devo was doing in the 70's. At times it's even possible to forget that hair metal, grunge & hip-hop ever happened as there's such a timeless quality about this. Devo have always been timeless & it's hard not to enjoy the result. If you don't find yourself jumping around I'd be surprised. But, this isn't a 70's nostalgia flashback. It sounds like the band today doing contemporary music with a quirky edge. I'm reminded of the Doors reunion with Ian Astbury (aka Riders On The Storm/Doors Of The 21st Century). It sounds like you would expect the Doors to sound like today without abandoning their trademark sound. That's one problem with classic bands that haven't stopped making music, such as the Rolling Stones. They lost they sound that made them famous. Devo is a strange beast, hard to pin down, hard to pigeon hole, hard to describe. Most famous for their MTV video "Whip It", yet fans will probably agree that they had far far better songs in the catalog. For those who have seen too many reunion albums which have disappointed expectations this new album has something for everybody which includes living up to expectations. The single "Fresh" is as memorable as anything Devo put out in the 70's, the few albums following in the 80's not being worth much consideration, with the rest of the of the tracks being of equal quality. It's all here: quirky singing, disjointed rhythms, an electronic foundation now spiced up with some big dance beats as good as anything on the dancefloor today & a lot of comedy done under a straight face. The great thing about Devo, outside of the memorable lyrics, is the punchy rhythms that never quite sound right. The Pet Shop Boys would later take this style in a more campy direction while peer Gary Numan went into darker direction, but Devo always keep it fun, though at times one gets glimmers of serious social thought. Critics unanimously have agreed that this is a highlight, ranging from allmusic.com to Rolling Stone. If you've yet to be sure of what you think of Devo - check out this album first. They're now cool to like, if you haven't heard. Some people say they're not as cocky or witty as they used to be, but that's what alienated many fans. Take that away & you've pretty much got .... something for everybody.