Systematic
first made noise in 2001 as the initial signing to
Metallica
drummer
Lars Ulrich
's vanity label. His
Music Company
imprint folded in 2002, but
was picked up by
Elektra
after a strong showing at
Ozzfest '01
and promising sales of its debut. Unfortunately,
Pleasure to Burn
, its sophomore effort, is a collection of mid-tempo doom rockers that doesn't stray very far from the precedent songwriters
Tim Narducci
(vocals/guitar) and
Adam Ruppel
(guitar) established with
's debut. Together with new rhythm section
Johnny Bechtel
(bass) and
Paul Bostaph
(who previously drummed for
Slayer
),
Narducci
and
Ruppel
plod through an unimaginative, gloomy set that owes a considerable debt to
Alice in Chains
, and does little to stand out from the other gas guzzlers in the rusty
nu-metal
motor pool. While
"Breakable"
features some nice guitar/drum dynamics initially, it quickly degenerates into cliche ("You seem to think that I'm the dirt on which you walk," etc.). Vocal processing separates the verses from a mildly uplifting chorus that's nevertheless marred by gratuitous cussing.
"Infected,"
"Pleasure to Burn,"
"Change"
are by-the-numbers workouts,
's best update yet of
glam rock
also-rans such as
L.A. Guns
or
Faster Pussycat
. Just as that scene's font of creativity had dried up long before those second-wave artists could really draw anything fruitful from it,
finds itself trying to carve out a niche in a market that's already heavy with metalsmiths blatantly horning in on the success of
Disturbed
,
Staind
, and the like. And though atmospheric, minor-chord experiments such as
"The Water Cure"
"Right Before You"
show some depth (particularly in the latter's epic quality), it's not enough to give
any kind of edge. As it's been produced and mixed to sound as much like the leading edge as possible (even its cover art is of the mindless, generically
metal
variety),
might appeal to the more avid fans of the genre. But it certainly doesn't offer anything that we haven't heard before. ~ Johnny Loftus