BY LEIGH ANDERSON

Staff Reporter

aHard-core music fans need to get ready to be aroused by the new band, Videodrone. With their recent self- entitled debut album, Videodrone attracts listeners from the word go.

Fear, rage, lust, thrill, despair and remorse collide to form this unusual electric energy. This unique sound can be compared to that of Korn, who produced the album and is currently headlining a tour with Rob Zombie and Videodrone.

Videodrone, originally called Cradle of Thorns, surfaced from the underground scenes of California's Central Valley and Huntington Beach, where the band has accumulated loyal fans since 1988. Videodorne has opened for bands such as Social Distortion, the Offspring, Sunny Day Real Estate and Sugar Ray. Aside from small gigs in California, this debut album is the band's first real exposure to the larger public.

Videodrone succeeds in creating its own style even while imitating styles and beats from other, more established bands. Videodrone contains 13 original tracks that dive into the depths of modern music's possibilities while aimultaneously transmitting complex messages open to various interpretations.

The standout track, "Faceplant," captivates listeners with familiar Korn-like pulses. "Pig In A Blanket," another strong track, relies on an electronic Marilyn Manson-type background combined with rap-style lyrics influenced by Cypress Hill artists.

In "Alone With 20 Bucks," Videodrone explores the oppressive power of mind control. The lyrics accurately describe this personal oppression with the chorus, "You tell me how to think, You tell me how to feel." The unyielding beats back up these stirring lyrics perfectly to suggest the loss of reality as a result of this intense mind control.

"The Devil's Sweepstakes"' demands audience attention immediately with a fast techno rhythm and enticing dance-beat insertions.

With the song "Ant in the Dope," the listener is prompted to witness an excessive description of the fixation for passion and lust. The listener is invited to explore this higher state of sensation, while the lyrics observe, "You make me feel like I have no soul, You make me feel like heaven's below".

This album could be new favorite of those who have been tempted by bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Korn, Clutch, Mushroom Head or Marilyn Manson.

Videodrone provokes audience curiosity and transports the listener to a new realm of thinking with no limitations or boundaries.

Videodrone lyrically encourages us to open ourselves to vulnerability and to submitting to desires and control.

So, for those who like to be manipulated, just lie back, close your eyes, listen and let go!

More information on Videodrone can be obtained at www.RepriseRec.com/videodrone