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** PROFESSIONAL MURDER MUSIC

Self titled

(Geffen/Interscope)

Less aggro than Slipknot, though moodier than their pals Static-X, LA’s Professional Murder Music offer up a polished homonymous debut that’s neither generic nor particularly original. Aiming at the young, pierced, freaky-hairdo’d malcontents who have made new metal the trend of the moment, PMM add electronic clatter and industrial grind to an otherwise radio-friendly modern-rock sound. The single, “Slow,” is anchored by a gargantuan guitar riff that builds to an ass kicker of a hook; it also features programmed blips and bleeps, slick harmonies, and trippy vocal effects. PMM use this formula throughout the CD while also aiming to evoke the kind of creepy horror-movie vibe that got “Fall Again” included on the soundtrack to the recent teen slasher flick Valentine. But the whispery, pseudo-mental-patient-sounding vocals and haunted-house-style samples are more cartoonish than threatening. It’s all about as scary as an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

— Adam Bregman