Powerman 5000 – Destroy What You Enjoy

Powerman 5000 – Destroy What You Enjoy / 2006 DRT / 13 Tracks / http://www.powerman5000.com / http://www.drt-entertainment.com / Reviewed 13 August 2006

It has been a few years since we last heard from Powerman 5000, so it should not be that amazing that the band has adopted a slightly different sound for “Destroy What You Enjoy”. Where the first major album used more of a nu-metal sound to get over with the fans, when the band starts “Destroy What You Enjoy”, there is a much more timeless appreciation for hard rock and metal. Throw in an opening that shows all members of the band cranking out the best music that they can, and individuals are immediately locked into this disc.

While the style of rock that Powerman 5000 plays is something that will make it big on all the rock radio stations and music video channels, there is an edge and energy through all of the tracks on “Destroy What You Enjoy” that cannot be ignored. The band may assume number of rock and metal styles, but during songs like “Return to the City of the Dead”, a punk style bubbles forth that shows that Powerman 5000 had a few early punk albums in their collections. Each following track on “Destroy What You Enjoy” is another little bit of rock gold for Powerman 5000. The track “Wild World” may be slower and more bluesy than the rest of the tracks on the disc, but the band still gets a few fist-pumping lines stuck into this track. The guitar world that is present on this album is not anything to scoff at either, as it is virtuosic without sounding out of place in the least.

The blend of a number of different styles (rock, metal, and punk) throughout the entirety of “Destroy What You Enjoy” shows Powerman 5000’s maturation as an act. The amazing thing is that this album could be on TKO; gone is the insincerity of prior albums, replaced by a hard-hitting rock that never quits. When I would try to pick out one or two tracks on “Destroy What You Enjoy” that would be the band’s singles, I find myself at an impasse. All of the tracks on the disc could serve equally well, especially songs like “Murder”, a track that uses the angular sound of acts like Franz Ferdinand or The Killers for that little bit extra oomph. If you did not like the band at the end of the last album, it may just be time to pick up this album and give Powerman 5000 a good, hard listen.

Top Tracks: Murder, Wild World

Rating: 6.5/10

[JMcQ]