Profit Prophet

Seemingly starting up where a midlife Rage Against the Machine left off, the sound, energy, and vibe is quite stunning on the opening "Unlearning." Lead singer Meegan Maultsaid doesn't leave the political messages aside, but unlike other groups, the music certainly doesn't suffer from it. Not pandering to a wailing or overtly hard metal sound, the group winds a very grandiose path. Samples are used in the introductions of songs, including "Kill the Ones Who Question," taking a longtime chant and integrating it into a great aggressive guitar riff. "Path of Least Resistance" continues the record and propels it forward over some nice work, with each musician granted the chance to show their wares. The band sounds eerily similar to a hard rock version of Brit-pop group Elastica, each song tight yet not entirely over-produced or glossed over. Guitarists Ian White and Brent Anderson keep things fresh and inspiring over Maultsaid's strong vocals and quasi-rap in the vein of Papa Roach blended with a dose of Stone Temple Pilots. "Conquistadoras" is such an example. Topics include anti-abortionists, American globalization, and other weighty issues, but the message in each strikes a musical chord from punk to nu-metal. The ending "United States of Generica," which has a speech by activist Angela Davis, is a slightly disappointing song, but the album as a whole is quite good and a promising career-builder.