April 22, '96

Ugly Mus-tard Ugly Mus-tard's radio-friendly industrial metal - or is it post-industrial this week? - has earned a rather large and loyal following along with dollar sign glances from major record labels. The band even has a moderate-sized European fan base after a recent tour there. It's well deserved: Ugly Mus-tard possesses splendid hooks where less talented cohorts resort to noise, melodies instead ofdistorted, half-cooked ideas, and lyrics that will occasionally rise above industrial clichés The professionally produced self-titled debut - distributed in Europe, no less - and elaborate live shows suggest Ugly Mus-tard's in it for the long haul, not just another passing poke at a nearly dead horse of a genre. Not as bombastic and self-serious as Nine Inch Nails or Filter, Ugly Mus-tard is more subtle and musical, often trading punch for atmosphere. With a musician as versatile and prolific as M. Daane in its ranks, the band aspires to more than making a big, shocking noise. As for E. Trent, K. Barker, and F. Rush, they graduated to Ugly Mus-tard after cutting their teeth in more traditional rock bands, which at least indicates they know what they are trying to deconstruct, or maybe that's reconstruct. by Philip Chrissopoulos