METZ

Toronto's Metz stake out territory once owned by Big Black, Jesus Lizard, and other loud, abrasive groups that cared not at all for the pop ends of popular song. Metz's goal is to turn up the volume and then turn it up some more. "Rats" features a battering hook in the shadows of reverb, but the tune is mostly driven by a bass line that isn't interested in making new friends. There's a touch of Public Image Ltd. in Metz' doomsday attack. The deliberate cacophony is a beautiful noise, carefully thought out for maximum impact, with producers Graham Walsh (Holy F***) and Alexandre Bonenfant capturing the trio's magic in an old barn over a week's worth of sessions. The one-minute break-up of "Nausea" is a noisy subsonic piece worthy of Jean-Paul Sartre. "Wet Blanket" takes the jackhammer rhythms of Big Black and matches it to a John Lydon bellow. The album is such a quick, exciting ride that even the oppressive puncturing notes of the hidden finale make for spirited deviance at its finest.