Album Review: POWERFLO - Powerflo

01. My M.O

02. Resistance

03. Where I Stay

04. Crushing That

05. Less Than A Human

06. The Grind

07. Victim Of Circumstance

08. Made It This Way

09. Finish The Game

10. Up And Out Of Me

11. Start A War

Powerflo is a supergroup consisting of Sen Dog (Cypress Hill), on vocals, Billy Graziadei (Biohazard) and Roy Lozano (Downset) on guitars, Christian Olde Wolbers (Fear Factory) on bass, and Fernando Schaefer (Worst) on drums.

Naturally, I had to check Powerflo out, as I like all of the bands the individual members have come from, particularly Biohazard and Downset. I saw Biohazard and Downset (along with Dog Eat Dog) play the Wulfrun Hall in Wolverhampton back in 1994, and it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. It made a huge impact on me, and was definitely one of those life changing gigs that made me want to be in a band myself. I was lucky enough to meet the bands after the show and I remember how cool, friendly and totally down to earth they all were. Countless shows later, I still follow the artists and am delighted to support them in this, their next musical chapter.

This self titled album is pretty damn good. They have avoided many of the overused Hardcore clichés, and have managed to develop the sound into something fresh and contemporary that should appeal to each member's existing fan-base, and draw in more people too. It's heavy and is teeming with energy and positive aggression. This combined with catchy songs that wear their Hip-Hop, Hardcore and Rock 'N' Roll influences on their sleeve, makes for a listen that's fresh and interesting, without straying too far from the creative paths carved by the members' other bands.

If you like Cypress Hill, Biohazard and Downset etc, I can't see how you wouldn't be into this. The album also has a superb, modern sounding production, and avoids sounding dated. Powerflo is a great example of modern Rap-Metal at its finest, and it couldn't have arrived at a better time. It's an absolute game changer for a genre that has been often overlooked due to the vast number of Nu-Metal bands doing it so badly in the 00's. Now, alongside a revitalised Body Count, Powerflo are leading the charge and reminding the world how awesome Rap-Metal can be.

Powerflo is a very good debut, and I really hope they maintain their momentum and release more albums in the 'not too distant' future, as with this much talent and chemistry in the band, I can only imagine them getting better and better.