Powerman 5000 is one of the few bands to be a constant part of my fandom since elementary school. N*Sync couldn't survive the new millennium, Ludacris couldn't bypass the metal, I rarely listen to AC/DC anymore, and even SLAYER is a rare commodity. But Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 released in 2000, and Neversoft introduced me to Powerman 5000. Worlds Collide was a track that always pumped me up, and I bought Tonight the Stars Revolt. Record label issues made their next few albums a pain to find (before the internet), but I did buy Transform when I learned it existed. Their early demo record, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Vol. 1, was a week one get for me. Fun fact: it came out the same week Xenosaga Episode 2 did. I really liked both of those CDs.
Unfortunately, I let heavy metal envelope me, and I fell off. I would return when I discovered Spotify and streaming, and I really enjoyed catching up on all the missed music. Critics didn't like them, but I got a kick out of them. I missed the sci-fi industrial metal from Tonight, but it's not like I'm against punk music. Although, I did consider (retroactively) the Noble Rot my worst album of 2020. Regardless, I still consider myself a fan of Spider 1. So when I saw a new album announcement from him, I set the appointment to write about Abandon Ship. It came out alongside three other albums I got excited about, so I can't write a full review, which might be for the best...
The first thing I notice from this album is how old school industrial it is. Combine that with some punk guitars and the lyrics about a pre apocalyptic world, and there's something here. And then you get to the nitty-gritty, and it falls apart.
For starters, it's all really repetitive. Many of the choruses are just repeating one or two sentences. It limits what a song can grow into, and it makes the entire album feel like sludge. But it's not just the lyrics. The musical score doesn't alter too often, either. The first half of the album is a boring chug. "Invisible Man" is fun, but the next four sound too similar for me. And then "Bloodsuckers" shows up, and it's the perfect example of what I don't like. The chorus is two sentences, but all ten verses are the same three.
"This Is a Life" is comparatively better, but only technically. "GTFO" is that but edgy. "Places For People That Scream" is almost a good song. If it were the slow song on the album, I might call it a banger. It could fit in on Anyone for Doomsday? Also, the last quarter is the same refrain ad naseum again. "The Last Chapter" is an interesting ending. It's still a slow song, but this isn't a death march. This is a horror show about how "a mess this world turned out to be." I can relate. It's a haunting acoustic song to end the album, which probably means something.
The vibe of the album is life. Spider has a negative view of it, especially towards religion. That probably explains why so much of it is repetitive. That's fine, but it doesn't make for a good listen. He tries to add some first wave goth moods to a few songs, and there's a mix of new and old PM5K here, but, well...
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Skill) It's hard to say. There's nothing to point at as good nor bad. 1/2
Variation) No. 0/2
Bangers) 0/2
Replayability) I've been here twice now, and I've heard enough. 0/2
Extras) Ten tracks at just over half an hour is the shortest album I've heard in a while. I don't feel like this is a next step for the band, but I feel a kinship for stuff that reminds me life sucks. Let's abandon ship. 1/2
Abandon Ship is a low 2/10. A part of me hates typing that, but I'm too old for repetitive experiences. It's not that bad of an album, but when a third of it sucks, another third sounds the same, and a final third is kinda mid, then I guess that's what a two gets ya.
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