DJ STARSCREAM – The New Leader

DJ STARSCREAM
The New Leader
Charged N20 Entertainment
6/10




Known to most headbangers as #0 of Slipknot, Sid Wilson drums up plenty of backpacker credibility with his latest DJ Starscream release, The New Leader.

Following a string of Japanese releases under the moniker, Wilson brings an abstract blend of jungle beats and distorted manipulations before the masses of maggots. Wilson kicks it with flair, getting his freak on with snappy snare generations and bouncy beats, but he’s no DJ Lethal in any case. Wilson’s influences are broad, as evidenced on the dancehall jungle cut “Come On” or during the mellow vibes exhibited by “L.A. Head Space.”

Diversity should be considered to be the most appealing trait produced by this record. It’s obvious that Wilson is intent upon sonic exploration, but many times, his destination is frustratingly unknown. Rapping, while infrequent, runs the gamut from De La Soul smoothness to Body Count cheese. Including raps may help sell records in suburbia, but these tracks find Wilson at his least creative.

Even so, those who like doing the jungle boogie, who are partial to drum and bass sounds or like standing in arcades just to hear the music will find this useful. While there are certainly guitar elements that lend a slight metal influence to cuts like “Kyukyoku ‘Fight’ Remix,” the metal sounds are quite downplayed compared to what one might expect.

All in all, there are a lot of good ideas musically on this record, but as interesting as it is to hear Wilson step away from the cartoonish metal insanity of Slipknot, this is really only an average album when taken in the context of its own genre.

Having said that, most metalheads are not likely to enjoy this. Even so, it will likely be an important cult release amongst well plugged-in listeners and it will be interesting to see where Wilson heads with this project from here.

© 2007 ERIN FOX – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED