Blitzkrieg Pop

Blitzkrieg Pop, as one can see from the imagery (a trucker-capped skull 'n' crossbones) and track titles ("A Very Loud Lullaby," "A Mess," "Sick Like Me"), is more blitzkrieg than pop and more Quiet Riot than Ramones. T. Raumschmiere's up to his old tricks, gnashing and thrashing away, and he's also singing now (if only on two tracks). Actually, make that screaming now, like a good-time Al Jourgensen. Unfortunately, no one bothered to tell Raumschmiere that shuffle beats were exhausted years ago -- either that, or he knows the situation and doesn't really care. To be fair, his idea of shuffle has little to do with glam, unlike most other producers who have gone in that direction at one point or another. He rusts out all the glitter and flash, gives Marc Bolan a black eye and a jackboot to the teeth. A handful of vocalists help out, including Ellen Allien, who would've been part of the album's highlight if it hadn't been for Raumschmiere's lack of restraint with the buzzing and piercing. Others fall completely flat, such as "A Very Loud Lullaby," the poppiest track of them all, featuring Sandra Nasic, which falls somewhere between Britney and Vixen. The best track is "An Army of Watt," but that's only because it might (hopefully) give you a mental image of a thousand Mike Watts marching in unison. ~ Andy Kellman