by Stephen Thomas ErlewineUltraspank is smart enough to know that the future of metal is to embrace electronic instrumentation. Of course, Ministry was smart enough to realize that ten years before Ultraspank, but this group is among the first metal bands to try to incorporate techno and electronica influences into their music. Since techno is about nuance -- even Prodigy has subtly shifting beats and layers of samples -- it's not exactly a marriage made in heaven, but the band actually comes up with some intriguing fusions on their eponymous debut. That's mainly because they have a keen sense of how to construct powerful riffs, and that saves them when their experiments fail. If they trim back the electronic influences, they'd be a fine alt-metal band, but if they find a way to incorporate them successfully, they'll be truly unique. Ultraspank, however, merely shows promise -- it doesn't fulfill their potential.