There's a trick to figuring out if an album is good or not, and it's going to sound absolutely stupid, but I guarantee you, it works every time: If the first song on the album doesn't live up to the cover art in some way or another, it's crap.

Here you see the cover of King Can's debut with it's string of firecrackers. "Teachers," the opening track on this disc, is exactly that. It rattles, pops, bursts, and just might take your eye out. No wonder fireworks are illegal in this state.

Produced by Steve Austin (no, not that one -- and I'm sure Mr. Austin is getting pretty fucking sick of seeing that joke in every review I've read of this disc), Maximum Power Super Loud is 12 bursts of sonic fury on a hellride to Vegas with two bags of 'shrooms and a mean attitude. Fronted by Dan Beeman (whose brother Pete drums for the wicked good Guzzard), King Can is out to kick some ass and chew some bubble gum. Unfortunately, I'm not going to complete that sentence, because I really fucking hate Rowdy Roddy Piper.

Is it metal? Is it punk? I'm not sure, but I'll take MPSL over Metallica's latest Load any day.

-Jason Josephes