With their bloated messages and overt didacticism, political bands can get real boring real fast. Honestly, how many times can you listen to former Rage Against the Machine frontman Zach de la Rocha's burn-the-American-flag rhetoric before pressing "stop" - even if you agree with it. Though Industry's sophomore disc, Preservation America, has a serious political slant, it avoids inspiring this kind of knee-jerk listener exasperation through powerful instrumentation and a varied commentary.

Preservation America's thesis is this: America, indeed the world at large, is a kind of haunted house. Singer/songwriter Jason Tanzer sees the U.S. as a vast amoral wasteland of seething rage, violence and technology-assisted depravity. On the title track, he bellows in a prolonged guttural bark: "These are times when you can stare at a 10-year-old boy/From Holland naked in the privacy of your own home/And not even feel guilty." It's a lyrical gut-shot propped up by some serious heavy metal.

Not that Industry is pure metal. The Vegas-based trio's sound is informed by everything from industrial rock to electronica, pinned down beneath a seething plethora of brutally complex rhythmical machinations. Bassist Adam Taylor alone often slams you back in your chair, your cheeks flapping uncontrollably in the wind, your hair wildly blowing around as the bass hits harder and drops lower than anything by DJ Magic Mike.

Tracks like "Swollen Sea" and "Shrine" are fast-moving instrumental calculations that recall bands like Tool and Nine Inch Nails. And "I Am the Walrus" is a death-rattle remake of the Beatles' classic. However, while Industry's influences are noticeable, they don't smack of grab-bag derivation. As with all good sonic packaging, it's been shaped and molded with an eye toward sole ownership. In short, it has a vision.

KEVIN CAPP

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