Professional Murder Music CD

Another crew of pierced and freaky-hairdoed young malcontents, Professional Murder Music add electronic clatter and industrial grind to their dense, radio-friendly modern rock sound. Less aggro than Slipknot, though moodier than their pals Static-X, these professionally murderous dudes offer up a polished self-titled debut that's neither generic nor particularly original. The single "Slow" is certainly worthy of its moment in the sun, while the rest of the songs follow the same formula: a lot of build-up amid programmed bleeps and gargantuan guitar riffs to the inevitable fierce hook, laden with slick harmonies. But the band also attempts to conjure up a creepy horror movie vibe. (In fact, the track "Fall Again" was included in the soundtrack to the slasher flick Valentine.) At this, they're less than successful, creating an atmosphere that's about as scary as your average video game or Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode. ~ Adam Bregman

There are some interesting musical passages on Professional Murder Music, and the lyrics are well-crafted, but where Black Sabbath's debut decades before churned out a chunk of dark rock that has lasted, there is not enough identifying structure here. Sure, the guitars blast nicely on "Does It Dream," and the additional vocals by Aimee Echo have charm, but singer Roman Marisak sounds like he listened to Kurt Cobain over and over and over again. Josh Abraham's production is adequate for 2001, but the incessant Sly Stone "Dance to the Music" riff that bubbles underneath seemed more determined when Janet Jackson ripped it off. Justin Bennett's drums should explode like cannons, but they take a back seat to the quagmire of keys and guitars; those instruments are certainly a good thing but, by not putting everything at full blast, they fail to fulfill the promise. New groups are navigating in uncharted waters and some, like Verbow and Rehab, are doing interesting things with melodies and new sounds. Other groups like Godsmack and Nine Inch Nails need a good smack now and again to put some creative spark back. You can bake some songs like a cake, and "These Days" on Professional Murder Music sounds like one part OhGr, a dash of Kraftwerk, a quarter cup of "death metal," and some emotion that Iron Maiden gave us centuries ago. It's fun for a moment or two, but is it going to stick around? "Sleep Deprivation" gets a bit monotonous -- and it's too bad -- the lyrical sentiment is somewhat original. When Jack Ely sang "Louie Louie," the big thing was t

Additional personnel includes: Aimee Echo (vocals); Troy Van Leeuwen, Josh Abraham (guitar); Knox Chandler (cello); DJ Lethal (keyboards, programming); Todd "FU" Valcic (programming).

Los Angeles, California.

Parental Advisory

Recorded at NRG Recording, North Hollywood, California and Westlake Audio,

Recorded at NRG Recording, North Hollywood, California and Westlake Audio, Los Angeles, California.

Engineers: Anthony "FU" Valcic, Roman Marisak, Jeff Schartoff.

Personnel: Aimee Echo (vocals); Josh Abraham (guitar, programming); Knox Chandler (cello); Jeff Schartoff (keyboards, programming); DJ Lethal (keyboards); Anthony Valcic (programming).

Audio Mixers: Dave Ogilvie; Tom Lord-Alge.

Recording information: NRG Recording, North Hollywood, CA; Plan-A Studios, LA, CA; Westlake Audio, LA, CA.

Editors: Doug Trantow; James Murray.

Photographers: Anthony Artiaga; Chapman Baehler.

Professional Murder Music: Roman Marisak (vocals, guitar, keyboards, programming); Brian Harrah (guitar); Jeff Schartoff (keyboards, bass, programming); Justin Bennett (drums).