Gary Numan - 'Hybrid' (Jagged Halo) Released 10/02/03

The re-invention of Gary Numan as a bona-fide nu metal icon continues apace with this double album of three new tracks and varied re-workings taken from an extensive back catalogue spanning 25 years! And succeeding in showing all those big shorted, snivelling little moaners how it's done, it's the full on embracing of big dark n 'moody industrial Goth that work most effectively here.

Title track 'Hybrid', recorded and produced by Sulphur along with the atmospheric deconstruction of 1997's Dominion Day, is post apocalyptic cyber metal at its bludgeoning best as the collaborations generally succeed in bringing out the genuine edginess of Numan's vocals.

Unfortunately on defining tracks, 'Cars' and 'Our Friends Electric', the presence of producers Flood and Andy Gray respectively giving it a "cinematic" and "dancey" edge only serves to render the tracks a pale and insipid shadow of their former selves. How Flood thought 'Cars' would benefit from a Morricone-esque overall, only probably Flood will know and The Sugarbabes 'Freak Like Me' served OFE with much more of an appropriate icy cool than Gray's stuttering remix. Sizeable quibbles aside, this still remains a timely reminder of both Numan's considerable influence and bang up to date relevance.