Powerflo’s self-titled debut was a pleasant surprise last year. The supergroup, whose ranks include current and former members from the likes of Cypress Hill, Fear Factory and Biohazard, produced a succinct album of hip hop infused heavy metal that likely would’ve gone down well in the genre’s heyday 20 odd years ago. On the eve of a run of European dates, which include a visit to the hallowed grounds of Donington Park, the band are giving their fans a gift in the form of Bring That Shit Back!, an eight track EP consisting of a cover, a new song and remixes to tide us over until the next full length.
Opening cut “Get Up, Stand Up” is exactly what we want from Powerflo; a punky three and a half minute rendition of the Bob Marley classic, with a venomous Sen Dog vocal and the sort of demented Graziadei interjections that Biohazard fans have been accustomed to for years. The gang chorus has a strangely choral vibe to it, but this helps it feel fresh and you’d have to think it’d go down well live. The title track is a somewhat bizarre, almost self congratulatory waste of 90 seconds, with the phrase “we’re motherfucking Powerflo” hammered home repeatedly over an ever changing backdrop of instrumental sections. It sounds like it was written in about five minutes, and I can’t imagine many listeners will be keen to revisit it once it’s done.
The remix section of the EP makes up three quarters of the track list, with a trio of remixes of “Where I Stay” and “The Grind” a piece. They remind me of the sort of thing Fear Factory were doing in the ’90s with Fear is the Mindkiller and Remanufacture, with electronic/dance reworkings of their original material. Some of them work quite well, others less so. The droning buzz of the guitar tone offset against an otherwise minimalistic take on Dlow’s “Where We Stay” remix is listenable, with the frenzied beat and the use of the chorus refrain as an instrumental texture in the verse of Vigilante’s remix also offers a refreshing spin. One flaw of some of these remixes is that they eschew large parts of the source material until there is barely any resemblance to it whatsoever (Hallucinator’s version of “Where We Stay” for example, which, save for vocal samples, is entirely different). To me, this approach has always defeated the purpose of a remix, as I feel they should always retain enough of the original so that you can identify where it’s from. Having all of these remixes back to back doesn’t help matters either, as the same vocal phrases and patterns on repeat with little in the way of any truly stimulating musical elements can get a little weary.
I have to wonder who Powerflo are targetting with this EP. Perhaps I’m out of the loop these days, but would the majority of their fan base find value in these remixes? Would they have been better served with a few more cover tunes or live tracks instead? With the title track being practically worthless, I suspect the only track likely to be of value to anyone is the opener. One good track from eight is not a good return, so unless this is available dirt cheap or you’re into electronic/dance orientated remixes, I’d advise you acquire “Get Up, Stand Up” and forget the rest.
Highlights: “Get Up, Stand Up”
Find out more about Powerflo here:
Bring That Shit Back! is available on June 1st via New Damage Records.
