Tonight the Stars Revolt!

Powerman 5000

If you think the Powerman 5000 hit "When Worlds Collide" sounds an awful lot like "Dragula" off Rob Zombie's Hellbilly Deluxe, don't blame Powerman 5000 frontman Spider--after all, it's in the genes. Zombie and Spider are siblings, and blood is thicker than a whole stack of Bibles. Fortunately, Powerman 5000 are much more than a blasphemous chip off the old gravestone. Sure, many of the rhythms on Tonight the Stars Revolt! are augmented by electronic samples, and the vocals are shouted over a battering-ram assault of drums, but the tunes weren't conceived in the same decayed crypt as Zombie's. Spider is actually more attuned to the power of melody than his big brother. His influences include new-wave bands like Blondie and the Cars (there's even a cover of the Cars' "Let the Good Times Roll"), as well as alternative rockers like Helmet and Girls Against Boys. Instead of focusing on themes of horror and the supernatural as Zombie does, Powerman 5000 seek inspiration from B-grade science fiction films from the '60s, making Tonight the Stars Revolt! more like a futuristic fun house than a genuine freak show. --Jon Wiederhorn

Tonight the Stars Revolt! Album: