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Powerman 5000 was formed in Boston in 1989 with very few ambitions, a typical college band designed to make some noise on Saturday night. However, the band would soon find themselves recording some pretty appealing material that would capture the interest of a record label like Dreamworks, certainly not a newcomer, far from it.
The quintet, led by the charismatic singer Spider, the younger brother of the famous Rob Zombie, released four demos, only one of which was truly interesting, namely "True Force," a concentration of typical rock riffs and funky influences, all well blended, creating a unique and interesting sound that is very enjoyable. The first true full-length "The Blood Splat Rating System," dated 1995, became a real cult album in the Boston underground, and it's only a matter of time before a reissue by Dreamworks. The album was completely remastered, the songs remained the same, but the title was changed to "Mega!! Kung Fu Radio," a bit peculiar.
A very personal, original, and well-structured work, engaging and full of truly noteworthy insights, you can already draw these conclusions after the first listens, but let's analyze the work in its entirety, as each song is a separate story. The album opens with the gritty "Public Menace, Freak, Human Fly," with a slow start featuring excellent percussion, then exploding into a powerful refrain that's immediately memorable, an excellent opening. Next is "Organizized," a rather calm song, but with an energetic and engaging chorus, this track is also definitely well-crafted and original. The third track "Neckbone" is a classic of the group, accompanied by Spider's almost paranoid voice and simple yet effective guitar riffs, perfect bass lines, and percussion, delivering an excellent final result, very entertaining. The following "Car Crash" is the most energetic and direct song on the album, featuring a simple but direct guitar riff with a very fitting solo, this piece also deserves to be considered a classic, excellent. Then there's the distinctive "Earth vs. Me," pleasant and fluctuating, played on mild rhythms interrupted by more aggressive parts, a good piece, perhaps not up to the previous ones.
"A Swim With The Shark" is the calmest track on the album, with the rock component disappearing, giving total space to funky influences, a nice song, but nothing special. We return to more aggressive sounds with the beautiful "20 Miles To Texas, 25 To Hell," introduced by a typically country arpeggio, interrupted by a surprising yet powerful guitar riff that becomes the backbone of the entire piece, really well-done and enjoyable. The title track "Mega!! Kung Fu Radio" is a rather mellow piece for most of its duration, except for the gritty, almost chaotic ending, accompanied by Spider's hoarse voice, another good piece but not a masterpiece. It is followed by "Tokyo Vigilante #1," a truly beautiful and engaging piece, with great energy, simple yet effective. "Bored Witcha" is the strangest piece on the album, not a real song, but rather a funky base combined with various samples, perfectly placed as an interlude to the excellent "Standing 8," opened by a very nice bass riff, a lively piece full of tempo and mood changes. The album closes with "Even Superman Shot Himself," actually two pieces in one, as the Dreamwork version of the album also contains the song "File Under Action," valid and enjoyable pieces.
As for the purely technical aspect, despite the songs seeming very simple, they hide quite surprising musical preparation, with great instrumental taste featuring precise and powerful rhythms. Excellent work by percussionist Jordan Cohen, who integrates excellently with drummer Al Pahanish. The bass performance is also great, with Dorian Heartsong embellishing the entire album with very inspired and precise riffs. Adam Williams on guitar also delivers an excellent performance, precise, powerful, and inspired. Singer Spider provides an engaging and charismatic performance, his tone never changes, but it is very effective. The production is very good, the instruments are all equally prominent with rich and never flat sounds.
In conclusion, this is quite a particular album, decidedly original and certainly not for everyone, but if you're looking for a fun and immediate listen, it could definitely be for you.
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