Dope
's third full-length appears through
Recon
, an N.Y.C. upstart affiliated with frontman
Edsel Dope
through management ties. In addition to producing
Group Therapy
, the dreadlocked kingpin directed and/or conceived of videos for each of the album's 13 songs, including them here as DVD add-ons. The bulk of additional content is a nice touch, and should be appreciated by the group's core fan base. And
is much stronger than 2001's flawed
Life
. Pounding, hard-charging percussion and rumbling, near atonal guitars are garnished with the occasional electronic flourish to form a base for
Edsel
's guttural yawp and rudimentary singing. He utilizes both on the obstinate
"I Am,"
which crosses emotive
Linkin Park
-style verses with the double-time chorus shout of "F*ck it, I am what I am." This dirty-mouthed mulishness is typical of
's lyrical muse, which leans heavily on both the F-word and themes common to the genre. Remember
"Die MF Die"
from
? That song's rallying cry here as been recast as "burn motherf*cker, burn." Elsewhere,
grapples with depression, the everyday grind, and haters.
has focused its fiery attack on
, and that should at least get the pit roiling at shows. ~ Johnny Loftus