MONDO GENERATOR 'Dead Planet' (Suburban Noize) RATING: 7/10

By RYAN MAVITY

It’s been quite a musical odyssey for former Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri. Fired from that band in 2004 by frontman Josh Homme, Oliveri turned to his one-time side project Mondo Generator full-time. After an acoustic album and much band turnover following Oliveri allegedly beating up a soundman in Germany, the bassist has released Dead Planet, a collection of mostly straightforward punk/metal tunes.

I will be the first to admit that I do not get Queens of the Stone Age. The songs I have heard are OK, but I’m not sure I see why everyone thinks it is some sort of work of genius. It’s decent rock and roll, but it ain’t Who’s Next, if you catch my drift. Dead Planet continues in this vein. It takes much of its inspiration from hardcore punk, like on "All Systems Go" or "Basket Case." "Like a Bomb" replicates much of Queens’ stoner-rock sound, though Oliveri’s voice is nowhere near as soulful as his nemesis Homme. Other tracks have a pop vibe, such as "So High," which contains the album’s best hook. "Sonicslowmotiontrails" is probably the most mesmerizing track on the record and contains its best guitar work. "Take Me Away" is also a strong track with its surf rock guitar line and lush acoustic arrangement. The centerpiece track, "Paper Thin," is another good one that is well written and performed. The album starts off slow, but once it reaches the end, it picks up steam and gets better.

But I gotta admit, I’m not any closer to being a fan of the Queens/Mondo style of music than I was when I began the record. I guess it’s one of those things where this style has been built up so much by critics that it's impossible to see it on its own terms or separate it from the hype. It reminded me of the movie Napoleon Dynamite, which was built up as the funniest movie in the history of cinema but was really a fairly amusing movie with a couple of decent scenes and wasn’t gonna beat out Blazing Saddles or Animal House in any of those "Funniest Movies Ever" polls. Same thing with the Queens/Mondo style of music. They have been built into the second coming so much that listening to it is bound to leave you underwhelmed if you are a casual observer.

Dead Planet is certainly not the second coming. It is what it is, a solid but not overwhelmingly spectacular rock n' roll record. That’s enough for me. I just wish I could have found that out without the hyperbole from critics.