by James Christopher Monger

Nearly danceable industrial thrash unit Static-X returns to the heavy-hitting attack of their Wisconsin Death Trip debut on Cannibal, their fifth offering. Like "Jesus Built My Hotrod"-era Ministry without the snarky humor, Cannibal finds the Midwest-bred quartet mining the usual themes of death, drink, sex, and hate, but this time around the sparse arrangements, throat-shredding vocals, and occasional flourishes of disco jet fuel feel less contrived than on previous outings. Sure, there's nothing here that any fan of White Zombie, Korn, and Slipknot hasn't already ingested a hundred times, but tracks like "Goat," "Destroyer," the sinewy title cut, and "No Submission" -- the latter appeared on the Saw 3 soundtrack -- bristle with a refreshing sense of "f*ck it" that keeps things from spiraling into the self-absorbed tar pit that makes dinosaur bones out of so many similar acts. [Cannibal is also available in a "clean" version that spares the listener the emotional trauma of dealing with words such as "bullshit" and "crap." There is also a limited collector's edition that features the bonus cuts "Light It Up" and "I'm The One (Wayne Static's Disco Destroyer Remix)."]