Initially released in 2002, Drumm?s punishing analogue drone/noise workout comes now in a newly remastered edition, with fresh artwork from lazy old Stephen O?Malley. All I can say is: thank heaven for this remaster! My previous edition CD copy of this was always drastically in need of a scrub up ? all I?d been able to discern previously was acres and acres of obdurate, piledriving buzztones. At last, you can now hear Rob Thomas from Matchbox 20?s vocals in all their Midwest-bothering glory-holler. And what a difference Thomas makes to set opener ?Impotent Hummer?. The hummer, previously so frustratingly emasculated, here becomes newly virile thanks to Thomas?s workmanlike delivery and charisma. It just does. This immediately begs the question: why don?t drone/noise artists invite mainstream pop stars to guest on their albums more often? It would certainly help sales, as well as adding vital avant garde street cred, if there?s such a thing, to the mainstream artistes? reputations. For example, Mariah Carey?s ?Extra Special Guest Vocal Appearance, Lambs? on track four, ?The Inferno? brings a refreshing corporate bump ?n? grind helium sensuality to what?s otherwise a quite boring drone piece about nothing. Now it?s about Carey?s arse, and a dog, and some cars and a man she oughtn?t really to trust but still finds attractive This is far more interesting than what ?The Inferno? used to be: my broken juicer.

Highlights? Veteran Styx axeman Tommy Shaw brings sweet, impressionistic pentatonic dabs to ?Hitting the Pavement?, transforming what was an endless, bland, cymbal-raping reverberation into something now highly likely to be the album?s third single. While good old reliable Dave Grohl revises his proven grunge tub-thumping skills to effective effect on ?Turning Point?, improving it immeasurably. I can just see this one working live now, whereas I couldn?t have done before really.

Sheer hellish miasma? Not any more! 7/10 -- Seb Hunter (14 August, 2007)