Rip, Tear, Burn
Liverpool's Multi Purpose Chemical (MPC) has that canny knack for writing potential dance floor anthems. This is evident from the nu-metal opening chugs of Apostasy. Mixing the grooves of Rage Against The Machine and the brutality of Soulfly is enough to cause any metal chemistry set to explode. MPC must have destroyed dozens of metal chemistry sets over the creation of '…and 4 more ways to fight'. It's as entertaining as it is foot tapping, as melodic as it is heavy, which are all the ingredients required to get your metal ass off that chair and onto the dance floor.
In some ways '…and 4 more ways to fight' reminds of System Of A Down's debut album. It's hard hitting, raw, catchy and guaranteed to make your non-metal friends squirm. There are elements of hardcore during the thirty-five minute running time. We receive lots of shouting from vocalist Andres Lefevre over basic chord sequences, but thankfully it's only an ingredient in the band's overall sound. Think of a hardcore version of One Minute Silence and you won't be far away from MPC.
I've mentioned many bands in the above paragraphs and obviously they don't sound like any particular one, but they have taken certain aspects from each band. MPC have definitely plundered the cream of their influences. 'Human' just makes you want to jump, jump, jump, 'Food For Worm' is pure groove class and 'Packaged Rebellion' is nice and noisy. There is an undercurrent of humour running through this release, but it's subtle enough not to ruin the release, and if I'm being honest it actually enhances the experience because it reminds you that not all music has to be deep and meaningful.
As insinuated earlier there's not a lot in the way of depth on '…and 4 more ways to fight', but MPC aren't one of these bands, their riffs and attitude more than make up for their lack of depth. Any band that can throw an airy-fairy interlude into the middle of the metal stomp that is 'Quick Fix' without breaking stride deserves everyone's respect. With the production raw and ideas thrown around like a violent pass the parcel I think anything more polished and this album would sound weak and forced. As it stands it's an enjoyable romp and a band you should definitely catch live. If you don't like what System Of A Down have become but loved their early works then check out MPC, there maybe something in them you might like.