Systematic's cookie-cutter sound a disappointment

By Nate Seltenrich

Is it just me, or has modern hard rock become a ridiculous cliche? As far as I'm concerned, it's just as bad as the boy band or teenage girl pop idol fads. X copies Y copies Z and soon enough you can't tell one from the other.

Case in point: Systematic's second release, "Pleasure to Burn." This is the sort of stuff that makes me yearn for the seminal hard rock albums of my childhood like the Stone Temple Pilots "Core" or Soundgarden's "Superunknown." Those albums were truly cutting edge. They made you feel, think and hurt. Systematic, on the other hand, makes me nothing but angry and embarrassed to be listening.

Their sound is boring, staid and tired. Lead singer Tim Narducci's voice is no better. I liked the music just once on this album - the heavy opening riffage to "The Water Cure." However, true to their poor form, Systematic went ahead and ruined it about 45 seconds into the track.

For an example of what the listener's ears are up against, check out these deep lyrics from "Right Before You:" "If I told you what was on my mind / Would you mind? / Would you mind?" Man, how did he come up with this stuff?

The bottom line is that "Pleasure to Burn" would be just that. The album contributes little to the genre and even less to music itself.

If you see "Pleasure to Burn" on the shelf in a record store and feel tempted to give it a try, please save yourself the trouble. Instead, listen to a little Godsmack, Staind, Trapt, or whatever else you have handy, and you'll get the idea. D