It certainly has all the appeal of PMT
Until recently, the band PMT were an unheard of band here in the UK, playing only a few appearances in support of such bands as Sepultura, Machine Head and Soulfly. These bands had given them some exposure, but it was only in Europe that the Swiss sextet were getting any real attention, in August last year when they came to the UK supporting KoRn. It was here that their fast-paced funk infused Nu-Metal riffs and incredible stage presence took the metal fanbase of the UK by storm. Incredibly enjoyable and confident, the music has a bouncy and energetic quality to it, mixing a little industrial metal into a largely Nu-Metal based structure of music to give a style of sound that has real attitiude and something akin to a sense of humour that really appeals to the masses. The new release 'Acupuncture For The Soul' looks set to expand their fanbase even further with contagious tracks full of life and energy that develops on a great deal from previous releases.
The opening track 'Antigravity Device' brings on it's assault with vicious, industrial-like guitar riffs defined with lead heavy bass. This gives the song the energy it needs to fly through the synthysized verses decorated with repetitive and addictive bass lines. The melody practically free-falls through spells of incredibly heavy nu-metal riffs and verses that truly build up into something remarkably addictive and adrenaline filled. This short but incredibly racy track holds the right kind of vibe to lead straight into the next one 'Compost' with added kick. 'Compost' sees the usage of the same guitar riff and bass structures but places the focus more heavily on the bass which seems to be the real fighting force of the music itself. Slap-bass, an array of effects and techiniques such as hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides are on display here and executed in such a way that demonstrates limitless skill and experience. This tune is all about the bass, it almost drowns out the rest of the band as it continues its infectious assault. The vocals are vaguely reminiscent of the nasal whining of Fred Durst and though not particularly pleasant, they somehow fit the muted, bass heavy sound snugly like hand in glove.
'Sillykonne' is a typically male lyrical tribute to lust. What is intriguing is that the vocals and the lyrics really let the track down. In the instrumental half the band resonate a dark and lustuous sound all on their own. Once again the bass takes the spotlight with an incredible dark and creeping sound that lurks on a repeating ostinato ridden with curves in sound, waves that slide gracefully from note to note and make the body move while the guitar obediently follows with complimentary riffs. This song itself highlights what is good about the band and puts it on display. but throughout the album this becomes repeated to the point of perhaps not displaying any sort of diversity or innovation upon the sound, suggesting therefore that PMT do rely heavily on what they know works to the point of almost always sounding the same. In fact, a great deal of these tracks on this new release sound alike with vocals that really do sound similar to a cross between a teenage girl suffering from a particularly bad bout of pre-menstrual tension and a strangled cat. The music can wear on the attention span immensely. This may be particularly due to the fact that women are able to carry off this sort of vocal sound (i,e. Katie Jane Garside from Queen Adreena) for the obvious reasons and is a little disconcerting when done by a man.
PMT do have their points, for example their bass player has some considerable skill. Certainly it's the most interesting part of the music, but as a whole, they demonstrate a lot of reasons why people are becoming so bored with Nu-Metal these days. While they may have staged energetic and enjoyable shows in the past, they're not as amazing and innovative as you may have been led to believe.