The first time I heard of Chrome was when a friend told me that Pavement had ripped them off. I had recently been introduced to Pavement by my friend Jarek. Amongst other things, their first release “Slanted and Enchanted” is nothing if not a cross-genre love letter to the 80’s, through the lens of their hyper-literate leader Stephen Malkmus.

The shaky, warbly vocals of Meat Puppets and Dinosaur Jr, the lyrical puzzles of R.E.M., the sonics of The Television Personalities with occasional Mark E. Smith caterwauls. All this held together with what I now view as an apparent homage to Chrome’s industrial metal shards and song structures.

Now, Chrome at the time of “3rd” was comprised of Damon Edge and Helios Creed on vocals, guitars, and keyboards while the Stench Brothers held down the bass and drums. Not many 80’s guitarists can hold a candle to Creed’s electric manglings. He has an epically melodious sense, even when his guitar sounds like it will actually destroy the very tape the band is trying to record on.

The mix is dense, the drums and bass mixed loudly in with the vocals. Only the lead guitar manages to over-power them. Tape loops, rhythm guitars and keyboards fill in the mid-range. Newer recording clarity aside, this ain’t Steely Dan. Don’t expect to hear the kick drum pedal squeak.

The songs. Forgoing the Faustian cut-and-paste collage style that dominated their earlier records, 3rd is rooted in a strange marriage. Somewhere, on a planet far away, the heavy metal of Black Sabbath, the industrial sludge of Throbbing Gristle, motorik swerve of Neu! and the unbounded energy of the Swell Maps collided to form the sound of this album.

Songs like “Firebomb” and “Heartbeat” mercilessly plow ahead, mixing in quasi-funk bass/drums with brain-damaging guitar runs. Damon Edge’s keyboards slink along, quietly adding sinister counter-melodies to the bass guitar’s foundations.

The lyrics are dark and incredibly hard to decipher. Yes, certain nouns and verbs can be occasionally gleaned from the chaos, but they are fragmentary in nature, all doom and gloom with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

If you have 20 bucks, buy the Chrome Box. Four complete albums, as well as the Inworlds 12″ among other odds and ends. Essentially amazing.