Weird Revolution
There was a time when the Butthole Surfers had a choice  position in underground rock, as they twisted psychedelic noise and  punk-metal to the brink of hardcore. Between a moniker that the  mainstream media refused to use, excellent if freakish live shows, and  song lyrics as confrontational as their name, radical rockers worshiped  the Surfers from the mid-'80s to the early '90s. Time seems to have  warped the warped act back towards the tepid mainstream, though, asWeird Revolutiondoesn't live up to its name as much as old fans  of the act are going to like. The newest album is heavy on the  industrial dance tip, blending power-tool effects with cheesy,  washed-out beats. The sound comes off something like Smashmouth and Cake  taking lessons from MC 900 Ft. Jesus. Even with all the cutting and  pasting of vocals and noise on tracks like "The Last Astronaut," harder  industrial songs like "Intelligent Guy" and the humor of songs like  "Shit Like That,"Weird Revolutionis a very flat offering from  a band known for spiking out the fringes of rock.--Jennifer  Maerz