Probot, "Probot" (2004)

Hey, he loved him some music, too.

This the first CD I've purchased from an actual, physical store in...God, I have no idea how long. Not long ago, my UK correspondent Mary gave, that's right, gave, me her 10 GB iPod. Now, if you know anything about iPods, you know that once stuff goes on, it can't come off -- it gets erased. Fortunately, I know people, and was able to strip the iPod of all her music and put it on my computer. (I'm still going through it all.) Anyway, the point is, between the iPod and some of my friends, there's been very little need to buy any music for a long time. Not so much because I can get anything I might want (although I probably could), but because I have enough to keep me busy for months, what with people throwing Red Kross, The New Pornographers, Kings of Leon, Dizzee Rascal, The Postal Service and The Shins at me, not to mention the ever-lovin' Beatles. (Soon, Martin, soon.)

But a few days ago, I bought the new Dave Grohl metal-fest Probot. I'm really, really digging it. It makes me feel like I'm 15 again. Not that I really listened to this kind of underground metal when I was 15; I was mostly into Ministry and Metallica then. (Actually, I was also really into the obscure British metal band Sabbat as well, but they were apparently under Grohl's radar. Maybe Martin Walkyier will pop up on Probot 2.) I read a review somewhere that said that only the first four songs are good; this is horse crap. In fact, song #4, "Access Bablyon" with Mike Dean, is the weakest track here. (I'm not much into straight thrash, generally.) My favorite is #5, in fact: "Silent Spring" with Kurt Brecht of D.R.I., a catchy, shout-along bit of metal. If by the end of the song, you're not yelling "NO!" along with Brecht, what the hell's the matter with you?

In fact, I think I prefer some of the slower numbers here, like Lee Dorrian's "Ice Cold Man" and Wino's "The Emerald Law" to the faster numbers that are front-loaded on the disc. Another highlight is "My Tortured Soul", which features Eric Wagner, probably the best straight-up singer on the album. I'm imagine most will diss it because, well, it could be a Foo Fighters song. That'd be a shame, cuz it's a great song.

Finally, it must be revealed that Jack Black makes an appearance at the very end, with a hidden song that I guess is called "I Am The Warlock". Imagine a more serious Tenacious D, without any acoustic guitar, getting in touch with their inner Satanic cultist. Yes, it's still hilarious.

Where we saw it: music | We deign to rate it: outta 100
Posted by kza at 10:45 AM | Comments (2)