Revolutions (2004)

DJ trio the X-ecutioners force the ire on their third album, Revolutions, with mixed results. A remake of White Zombie's ''More Human Than Human,'' featuring Minneapolis MC Slug's mad metaphors, certainly sounds furious but signifies nothing. ''I am the nightmare,'' Slug growls, ''right where the soldier overstands warfare, caught in the cross-hairs.'' Huh? And the ''bullets that rip through your liver'' boasts on ''The Regulators,'' featuring unknowns Rock Marc and Sly Boogie, simply rehash the hungry-hustler hyperbole pioneered by the likes of Mobb Deep and the Lox.

Cuttin' 'n' scratchin' is an inherently violent act. (Just ask a needle.) So even when the guest vocalists' venom seems diluted, the three DJ's constant, skittering flourishes maintain an engaging, unpredictable energy. It works - whether they're cutting up over White Zombie's roaring guitar, Bush's war-hawking sound bites, or rapper Trife's refreshingly happy thoughts: ''We got the X-Men spinnin' on the ones and twos/No drugs, no violence, leave home the guns and tools.'' Can't be mad at that.

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