Probot

Irony’s not dead, just lame. Dave Grohl might have proven this once and for all with this self-indulgent metal album on which he plays the instruments while guest stars provide the vocals. Thankfully, Grohl doesn’t treat metal with the tired, tongue-in-cheek condescension typical of twerps like Rivers Cuomo. He tries sincerity instead. This is a project with portents of disaster, but Grohl pulls it off by tailoring each song to its vocalist. Lemmy, King Diamond, D.R.I.’s Kurt Brecht, Voivod’s Snake, Celtic Frost’s Tom Warrior, Soulfly’s Max Cavalera and Cathedral’s Lee Dorrian all make appearances. The novelty value of an all-star lineup of vocalists threatens the album’s continuity, but Grohl manages to make the album flow from start to finish. But Probot is no joke. It’s a party album from heaven (or hell) for metalheads on the friendlier fringes of metaldom.