Treponem Pal

The French industrial outfit Treponem Pal had been laboring for years in the underground, making hard-edged metal-infused records for a decade before they made their major-label debut with Higher. Unfortunately, they and producer Sascha Konietzko of KMDFM decided to hedge their bets by conventionalizing their sound. The result is an album that adds nothing new to the industrial genre. The metal guitars, the monotone vocals, the techno rhythms and samples -- they're all here. Only the occasional lapses into reggae rhythms on "Struggle" and "Panorama" distinguish this album from any number of industrial releases. (Well, that and the dreadful cover of "Funkytown," a truly desperate attempt for airplay.) There's not much that's truly terrible, but there is also not much that's original, and precious little to indicate why this band is considered so influential. Newcomers interested in Treponem Pal would probably do better with their earlier, harder-edged releases. ~ Victor W. Valdivia, All Music Guide