Having signed-off first time around with the dub-influenced 'Higher' in 1997, Treponem Pal return to the fray with an album that lives up to it's promise and will be a surprise to anyone who thought that 1993's classic 'Excess And Overdrive' would remain their most memorable album.
It would be wrong to say, however, that 'Weird Machine' manages to reproduce the cold, metallic landscapes of 'Excess...', but nevertheless, the album does pack a considerable punch with it's more polished sound which lends itself well to the band's riff-laden assualt which is, in truth, more akin to metal than industrial.
'Weird Machine' comes across as an ideal meeting place for the band's earlier industrial-sounding output as well as their ability to churn out catchy, metallic riffs which will seep into your brain in next to no time at all.
The quality threshold is kept high throughout, making this a good purchase for anyone who cherishes the core values of industrial metal as well as those who value classic guitar riffs - of which there are plenty.
To sum up: A meaty sounding album which maintains Treponem Pal's links to a time when industrial metal was still young, while managing to sound fresh with it's vibrant songwriting which could surprise a few diehards. Try it.