Powerman 5000's frontman, Spider One, is actually Rob Zombie's younger brother (that's not just a myth). PM5K's latest, "Somewhere on the Other Side of Nowhere" bears a slight family resemblance; it sounds like a cross between White Zombie and Nickelback. Fortunately, there's more of the former here than the latter (seriously, does anyone like Nickelback?), but unfortunately, it's not enough to salvage this record.

From start to finish, "Somewhere" is a collection of forced-catchy, radio-friendly, commercial Walmetal. While big brother Rob made a career of simple, formulaic aggressive hard rock, his stuff never felt this contrived. Just about every track on "Somewhere" kicks off with a promising industrial metal groove ca. 1992, but quickly devolves into irritating, manufactured pop metal, and Spider's Sci-Fi lyrics never arrest your attention enough to justify the mediocre music. I think the goal is to get snippets of this stuff played during breaks at sports arenas.

But that's just my take. This kinda thing tends to sell well and have the last laugh. The insistent bass-beat/low-E formula for each song is designed to get your head bopping, and it's employed effectively. You might find yourself flicking the Dio horns and getting into it. If you DO like Nickelback, then you'll probably love this album. I was happiest - - although still not all that happy - - during the title track (which sounds quite a bit like White Zombie's ‘Blood, Milk, and Sky’) and the closer ‘Horror Show’.