Music
03 Jun 08

In Silico

Riff-Rock with a techno twist from Aussie drum 'n bass aficionados in a record that gives the impression that we never quite left the 90s behind

Pendulum started out as strictly a dancefloor act before incorporating rock guitars on their breakout album, 2003's Hold Your Colour.
Few bands, of course, have successfully combined rock and rave. The Prodigy and Apollo 440 gave it their best shot and, in places, Pendulum recall both acts – indeed, there's a strong sense throughout the record that the band have never quite left the 90s behind.
Lead single ‘Propane Nightmares’, with its mariachi horns and pounding punk synths, is already a chart smash, having blasted into the UK top 10 earlier this year. Otherwise, however, highlights are few and far between – ‘The Tempest’ is all empty bombast, ‘Showdown’ feels unabashedly silly. Drum 'n bass? Dumb 'n bass more like.

KEY TRACK: ‘SHOWDOWN’