Search - Butterfly, Mcdonald, Carden :: Seymour Group: Nigel Butterfly

By the time this fourth album came out, P.E. were fighting a public-image battle as well as their usual wars: Professor Griff was gone, and Flavor Flav had gotten in trouble with the law and New York's tabloids. No surprise that this record's more than a little defensive, and it falls off a bit in its second half. (Was it really necessary to remake "Bring the Noise" with Anthrax?) When the group's on, though, it's vehement and confident, attacking black-on-black violence (the high-powered "Nighttrain"), exploitative malt-liquor companies, and the entire state of Arizona. Chuck D.'s voice sounds weary from touring, but his wordplay and intensity are intact, and though the music's stripped down from previous records' traffic-jam chaos, its insistent howl remains its essence. --Douglas Wolk