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CD Review by Rob Faust JUNKIE XL Big Sound of the Drags Attic/BMG Records · Chemical Beat hits the Drag Strip. Somewhere between big beat and the warped inspiration of the Chemical Brothers and the Lo Fi Allstars lays the land of chemical beat. Here you’ll find Junkie XL and its flavoured, beat-dependent, guitar-soaked industrial-spiced tech ’n’ roll. They are a combination of all things loud ’n’ proud – the aggressive side of the 4/4. While progressive headz will find little ground being broken on Big Sound of the Drags, those who never got over Jane’s Addiction or Ministry’s "Jesus Built My Hot Rod" will find a plethora of instantly pleasing toe-tappers. Sadly the downfall of this album is that it could have used a Perry Farrell or a 4x4, instead of a dragster, to help them get through the swamp of their metal hop (à la Korn), and the vocals tend to become extremely pedantic with repeated listenings. That said, when not trying to write songs Junkie XL pack an explosive punch found usually in the most severe techstep or darkcore. At last, another nail in the coffin of three-chord hippie rock. Adrenalize, baby. 3/5

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