** Drain STH

HORROR WRESTLING

(The Enclave)

The 12 songs by this all-female Swedish troop emphasize re-creation over creation, notably of Seattle's Alice in Chains, right down to actual plagiarizing. The tunes take on a sort of gauzy, ambiguous quality that has one track seeping into another, and if you weren't paying close attention the CD would ultimately come off as one more chapter in the history of the sprawling metal opus, a more kinetic and popped-out Earth, Melvins, or Sleep. The drums are all about the mid-tempo boom of the kick; the bass, albeit heavy, is just there; the vocals are executed without cracks or strain; and the burden of making things interesting falls to the guitarist, who manages to toss out a few nifty, dynamic tricks. It does sound pretty good, all thick and layered, which can perhaps be chalked up to the influence of the black metal infecting Northern Europe. The band would do well to go the extra step and adopt some of that genre's pathos, though -- anything to make this more than mere tribute.

-- Jonathan Dixon

(Drain STH open for Life of Agony this Wednesday, September 24, at the Middle East; call 864-EAST)