Keçkipasse / Keckipasse

This debut release by French rap-metal six-piece Pleymo earned them quite a following in their native country and helped to put them on the map of European extreme music. It wasn't really their breakthrough to the big time, though, and it is easy to see why — Keckispasse just isn't that strong. In fact, if there ever were a competition for the title of most generic rap-metal album, Keckispasse could have a serious chance to win. At this stage Pleymo sounded like the least imaginative mash-up of Limp Bizkit and Rage Against the Machine, minus both the frat-boy goofiness of the former and the righteous activist fury of the latter. However, it would be unfair to say that Keckispasse is without any redeeming qualities entirely. Pleymo originally earned their reputation as a monster live band, and producer Stephen Kremer does an excellent job of capturing their wild reckless vibe on tape. Although the material on this record is altogether unremarkable, Pleymo don't as much play it as rip through it, and the resulting record feels like a never-ending adrenaline rush. It's a perfect soundtrack for a wide variety of physical activities, whether skateboarding, pumping iron, or merely jumping around your room screaming your head off to your favorite metal CD, but if one is seeking any sort of musical inventiveness it would probably be a good idea to look elsewhere. As an example of modest beginnings for a talented band with better things to come, however, Keckispasse stands up just fine.