“Hello, this is the operator with a collect call from the L.A. County Jail from Tommy. Will you accept the charges?”
Yeah, he can laugh at himself, but he’s not laughing alone. Tommy Lee, a crazy dude named TiLo, and a band of loud-as-fuck talent and tons of special guest appearances make up what is known as Methods of Mayhem. (MCA Records) Splitting your head open with sounds that encompass rap, metal, funk, heavy beats, razor sharp guitars, and DJ mixes from some of the best the industry has to offer, this release is one of the best I’ve heard all year.
Tommy seems to have invited 20 or so of his closest “friends” over to get into the studio and get down with what they do best and bring us the noise. The end result is fresh, alive and it makes you unconsciously AND consciously nod your head along. You can’t not like this. Why, you ask? Well… You just can’t! It’s against the rules, okay?
I first heard about the project while listening to Pamela and Tommy Lee on the Howard Stern Radio Show. The two of them were so enthusiastic about the project that it piqued my interest then, but I got even more into it when Stern played a couple of clips that completely rocked. This is some good shit. You know it’s good when strippers want to take their clothes off to it. Since most strippers look better than they dance, the music has to make up for it. Let me tell you, I’d get naked to “Get Naked” any damn day.
Don’t take this the wrong way. I’m not saying this is the first time I’ve heard this type of thing done. There are tons of “various artists, rap metal” compilations. There are the White Zombies, and the Powerman 5000s, and the Kid Rocks, and the Limp Bizkits who have all done different versions of the same. I would never claim that Methods of Mayhem is innovative or one-of-a-kind. But what I will tell you is that this CD is a lot more fun than most, has a better production job than most (by Scott Humphrey and Tommy Lee, himself) and it’s undeniably cooler than many of the others I’ve laid ears on. (Speaking of Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit – keep your ears open for contributions from Kid Rock and Fred “my motherfucking face is everywhere” Durst.)
Standout tracks include “Get Naked“, “New Skin” (no, not an Incubus cover!), “Who the Hell Cares“, “Narcotic” (one of Pam’s personal favorites that features some great stuff from The Crystal Method, Mix Master Mike and strategically placed samples of Tommy after some helium intake), “Anger Management” and “Hypocritical“.
Every song seems to incorporate the move-to-it beat you need with some truly impressive vocals from Tommy. He’s got the total rock star voice down. Too bad he wasn’t the one singing for Motley Crue.
Here’s some music to “Crash” your car to. Are you ready?
Lesa Pence
