One of nature's most volatile elements provides the name for a group with a volatile and fresh style. Uranium 235 posts an impressive resume, opening for such bands as Type O Negative, Fear Factory, and Marilyn Manson. Their success is evidently well-deserved from listening to their latest release "Cultural Minority."

The album is a hard, driving brand of rock with few, if any flaws. It opens with a track called "Radio Shut Down" which is reminiscent of the worst fears of Y2K flaws. An almost eerily serene beginning, shortly followed by an explosion of the keyboards, bass, and drums.

One of the album's biggest strengths is variety. It holds the same hard quality and Trent Reznor-like vocals throughout, but somehow with the variances of the underlying beat it shows a depth in the group that isn't evident in most artists today. It goes from the almost punk rock quality of "Radio Shut Down" to a dance club sound in "Creator." The versatility of this group is truly astounding, and they did an excellent job showcasing that in this album.

The hands-down crown jewel is the cover of the 1980s classic, "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)." Amazingly, the edge given to the song by Uranium 235 brings the song successfully into the next millennium without losing the 80s feel that the group originally intended. The break into Soft Cell's 1985 chart-topper "Tainted Love" provides a huge surprise to the listener but at the same time flows perfectly from the main song.

Uranium 235's debut on the Mystic Music and Entertainment label is a huge success, and fans of all styles of music will enjoy this album. It's a must have for any collection.