The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum

Still getting a visceral kick from the simple thrill of hearing their own amplified voices on tape, the members of L7 kick off their fifth album with a mike check-"Yo! Hello! Hey!"-followed by two ear-shattering screams. The Los Angeles quartet has always had a hard time being heard for exactly what they are: a great punk-metal band, as opposed to a great female punk-metal band. But the group doesn't waste any more time making that point on The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum than it has on its previous four albums, choosing instead to get right to the business of making your eardrums ring. L7 suffered a key defection before this album when bassist/vocalist Jennifer Finch quit, frustrated perhaps by a decade of hard touring that has won a cult following and not much more. But guitarists/vocalists Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner rose to the occasion with producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, the Muffs). They tip the balance a bit more toward the metal end of the spectrum in terms of stomping rhythms and slower tempos (though not extraneous guitar solos), while excluding none of their usual so-stupid-they're-brilliant Ramones-style hooks. The subject matter will be familiar to fans: Sparks and Gardner bitch about loser boyfriends and other "Bad Things," celebrate their status as bad girls by jumping "Off the Wagon," show their romantic streak on the touching '50s-style "Moonshine," and paraphrase the voracious Iggy Poo on "I Need" and "Must Have More." Sadly neglected in a pop landscape dominated by lightweights like Alanis Morrisette and Sheryl Crow, L7 can be forgiven for being bitter and questioning the IQ of the populace at large with a song called "The Masses Are Asses," especially because the moment is a fleeting one. Ultimately, the band is about partying hard and rocking yourself silly, and it's your loss if you decline their invitation. Jim Derogatis