Speaking personally for a moment, Powerman 5000 was integral in developing my music tastes. Hearing songs like “When Worlds Collide” and “Riot Time” on the WWE SmackDown vs. RAW soundtrack made me fall in love with heavy music, so the band will always have a special place in my heart. To that end, it isn’t often that I will pre-order an album without having heard a song off it, but for the sci-fi rockers’ latest effort, Abandon Ship, I took the plunge (or rather, the launch).
I understand that a band’s sound should evolve over time, but this album feels far removed from the PM5K that a teenage me adored. Things start off hot enough with “Invisible Man,” with punky riffing and a sense of urgency that feels familiar for the band. The follow-up “1999” has an electronic tinge to it, evoking memories of the record which PM5K put out that year, Tonight The Stars Revolt! This segues into “Dancing Like We’re Dead” for another strong track, with Spider One’s talk-singing/almost-rapping through the verses making for a danceable, energetic rocker.
It’s from this point on that things feel formulaic. The music feels like the same thing over and again for a few songs, to the point where it goes beyond endearing and into effortless. On one hand, the band’s been at it since the late 90s, so they should be able to make it look easy, but this is a far cry from the dynamic hard rock the band is best known for. I will shout out “The Company Loves Misery” for its big bluesy riffing, but from there to the CD bonus, a re-recording of “Bombshell” from the band’s Anyone for Doomsday? record (and theme song for The Dudley Boyz during the tail end of their first WWE run), there’s not much to write home about.
Does a new album from an old band have to break new ground? Not necessarily, but the last couple of records from Powerman 5000 have also felt rather same-y, with a couple of gems to be found. Abandon Ship cannot be totally written off for that reason, as the first half of the record and the aforementioned bonus re-recording are worth listening to. That being said, there’s only so much to get excited about for this difficult launch of a disc.
