Reject, Discard, Refuse New Powerman 5000

If there's a rock song out there with the sonic waywardness of say a child flinging finger paints at a wall then the latest Powerman 5000 number, "Invade, Destroy, Repeat" certainly fits the bill. Frankly, there's much volume that doesn't amount to a hill of beans in the self-expression department. If I wanted something in a Hitler like loyalty cheer I'd have gone to the genuine article. Spider One, Michael Cummings to the rest of us surface dwellers chants the title like a guy about to submerge himself in the middle of a soccer riot to kick some serious ass. Zer0, Richard Jazmin informally lets rip plenty of evil on guitar but again if you want meat on the bones you're in for a horribly rude awakening. Judging from the lyrics, mercy isn't in the cards. Enough with the mistake making. It's time for celestial justice dished out ice cold in a sturdy flask. You see the ominous red skies? Not that they're raining blood...yet. However, you could get quite claustrophobic if you breathe the words in too deeply. They think of destruction as being fun and games. "Let's have some fun?" What I consider fun and what they consider fun are two completely unrelated things. "Invade, Destroy, Repeat" fails to escape its narrow chord sequences. As action scene amplitude for a big budget summer popcorn movie I could see how treating the music like an increasingly frightened rat bouncing around in a cage would make sense. Boston's a gritty place so you need Powerman 5000's similar no attitude spared battle cries to get the momentum rolling forward. They left out Part 2. We've got the solidiers marching off to some God forsaken nightmare probably to meet their , unfortunate doom. X51, otherwise remembered as Gustavo Aued drops down thunderous bass to set the scene for what's likely to be a carnage fest. Dj Rattan, Rattan short smacks around the drums with the blackened soul of a wife beater who wouldn't touch anger management classes with a thirty foot pole. So what do the dogs of war have us lunging for? From my view on the hill, not much worth swapping stories about. On this tribe's resume is a contribution to the Bride of Chucky soundtrack. I give them credit for astute marketing. "Invade, Destroy, Repeat" would curdle your last drops of blood. Industrial metal is this band's stock in trade. You can hear belching smokestack relentlessness if you perk your ears up close enough. What's the one angle "Invade, Destroy, Repeat" has going for it? After three minutes of your life have been dedicated to it you can renew your optimism and fill some of your hours with cultural pursuits that actually do merit your attention. Powerman 5000, as band names go, hints at a sleek driving machine or a superhero you can fold six ways from Sunday to make new, compelling machines. If only this new single had that brand of vision to bring to the fore. No dice though. "Invade, Destroy, Repeat" doesn't invade sensibilities regarding what industrial metal could be. It doesn't destroy your jaded yawn. Least of all it doesn't merit repeat listenings. The air is hot but no redeemable energy is given off. This is one Powerman (5000) that could've used a finely tuned power surge.