Methods of Mayhem - Public Disservice Announcement

After enough records, it looks like Tommy Lee might really have some talent with his Crüe.I have to say, I was not a fan of Tommy Lee's first solo experiment Methods of Mayhem, but subsequent releases have shown how talented the guy is, and that he can stand alone as a solo artist.  Since Tommy rejoined Motely Crue back in 2004, he has put his solo career on the backburner, and made The Crue top priority.  Yeah, he had a stint with the regrettable Rockstar Supernova, but for the most part musically, the guy has been focussed on Motley.  Since the re-union, Motely has taken some hiatuses, allowing the guys some time to spread their creative wings musically, via solo projects.  Nikki has SixxAM, Vince has his solo band, and now Tommy has ressurected his rap metal project MOM.  The result is the band's latest release Public Disservice Announcement, which is their first release in ten years.

PDA is a bit of a departure from the first MOM CD, because rather than focusing purely on rap metal/nu-metal, the new CD has more of a modern hard rock vibe.  For this new CD, Tommy had fans submit samples that were incorporated into some of the tunes.  Pretty cool idea.  The CD started off fairly weak for me with the opening track Poor Uncle Pete.  It is a power pop tune in the vein of Weezer's Beverly Hills.   After the first track though, the CD takes off with the next two tracks Time Bomb and Louder.  These two tunes are hard rock gems.  Tommy really asserts himself vocally and sounds great.  The next track Fight Song is probably the heaviest thing Tommy has done outside The Crue.  It is fueled by a crunchy riff reminiscent of Sevendust. 

PDA is a fairly complete hard rock record containing a few twists.  I would say that the first 3/4's of the CD is solid, with the latter 1/4 (Last 3 songs) being throw aways.  The last 3 tunes on the record don't fit and take the CD, into a totally different direction.  The latter part of the CD is more experimental, and brings out Tommy's love for all types of music.  Believe it or not, the last three tracks mix in influences of  Prince, Coldplay and Trance music.  Pretty odd.  I know he digs this stuff, but with the strength of the rest of the CD, it is questionable why these were included.  All in all a solid release.

Bottom Line: MOM going from a rap/nu-metal vibe, to more of a solid modern hard rock sound.  The songs are well written and are fresh with all of the different sounds mixed in.  The CD falls short, when the experimentation goes a little too far.

Standout Tracks: Louder, Time Bomb, Fight Song and Only One

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