CD Review: PepperDome's 'Chaos' is Organized Fun

Jan 30, 2011
Melissa Kucirek

PepperDome "Chaos Point" - Photo Courtesy of PepperDome

PepperDome's six-track 'Chaos Point' reaches into an eclectic bag of rock and slam poetry.

Listen carefully to the six tracks on PepperDome's EP Chaos Point and the organized fun John Tokarcyzk concocted alongside Cheryl Alexander is somewhere between Frank Zappa and the raunchy soundtrack from Rockie Horror Picture Show. What fans love about the 'what are they going to say next?" B52s and the quirky rock sounds in Primus, listeners will surely embrace the organized chaos in PepperDome.

Derivative of Faith No More

The first song "Flesh" starts out with a statement - you know you're fine with you suddenly lose your mind, and jumps into this Pulp Fiction esque guitar riff. This song shakes it down - the bass throbbing alongside Tokarcyzk's deep voice. The drums on this track are punk and intrusive without being obnoxious. In its bio, PepperDome claims to be a derivative of Faith No More and there is no doubt PepperDome falls into this category. "Flesh" puts together a solid orchestration.

Prepare For The Outlandish

The title track is equally engaging and perplexing. Listeners should prepare themselves for some outlandish breaks, bizarre vocals and all out well-crafted guitar work. The percussion and bass are equally fantastic. Track three "Everyone Tells Me" has this bursting guitar riff mixed with a subtle poignant downtime. Head bangers get ready and slam poetry lyricists mind your posts. This song is a keeper.

As the CD moves along, the same bass work is evident, but that is okay. The cadence is even more relished with the industrial guitar sounds. "Celebrity" is an unexpected jaunt into heavier rock territory. The guitar orchestration draws from some early 80s punk, and takes the listener to a dark space. Never mind the lyrics, the guitar work is too cool to ignore.

In "Break" (track five), the speed slows just a bit. Tokarcyzk's voice is again at the forefront, but never overshadowed by the strong guitar riffs. While this song power-punches in its own way, it is not the best track.

Track six "I Know" scratches through after a quick beginning. Tokarcyzk's voice insanely rids itself of boredom. It is almost as if the listener is Tokarcyzk's head and the nudging and tug-of-war between the drums and guitar force the listener to a spiral of rock and punk music. This song is not as exhausting as "Everyone Tells Me" but is higher on the scale than "Break."

Solid A Review

Overall, this CD gets a solid A. There is just something eclectic and weird that cannot be liked. Fans of Faith No More, Frank Zappa, Primus, The B52s (think way less pop) and Tool will embrace the arrangements and power punches PepperDome releases. They are way to bizarre not to like.