As the sounds of sirens, whistles, and loud voices fill the air, I know one of two things is happening: either I'm going to jail again, or "Public Enemy" has a new album out. Luckily for me, in this case, the hip hop army known as "Public Enemy" is back to assault my ears and rock my ass one more time.

Fueled by by Chuck D's sometimes angry, but usually right-on, tirades and Terminator X's wicked sound mixes, this is more of the "Public Enemy" we've loved for years. Their sound has evolved over time, but their message stays the same and could be called a Terminator X-Files type of message. It says "The Truth is out there," but they carry it one step further and say "And here's the way we see it."

The album opens with the appropriately titled "Dark Side Of The Wall: 2000." This is a trippy sampling mix by Terminator X, with a title reminiscent of Pink Floyd. In fact, I view this as a really funked up cousin of the instrumentals that Pink Floyd used on "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here." It fills out and enhances the concept of the entire album (not to mention the fact that it gets your blood pumping and butt shaking.)

Chuck D and Flavor Flav step to the forefront on the next track, "Do You Wanna Go Our Way." Several tracks on the album, this one included, speak of the band's disillusionment with the commercialization of hip hop, and a music industry that is more concerned with making money than music. With lines like "It takes a nation of sell-outs to hold us back," Chuck D's lyrics knife into the industry.

The assault continues on the driving "Here I Go," as Chuck challenges "I like it raw...No cigar...I ran over the pop star with my car again...and may the best jam win." Later, on the funky "Crayola," they sing of cookie cutter artists and songs and also of that horrible practice now of DJ's getting paid to play certain singles.

The sound of the band has also evolved. There is "LSD," which Terminator X lays down a techno backbeat for. There is the tightly structured, anthemic "First The Sheep, Next The Shepherd." The band even sings a jammin' harmony snippet on "World Tour Sessions."

Flavor Flav has two funked out tracks on the album also. There is the more serious assault on cops, "41:19," and then there is the pure fun track, "What What." "What What" is Flavor at his fun-loving clowning best, laying down smooth raps with the bridge of "What what? What What? Let Flavor rip it up."

Chuck D, however, saves his best verbal jabs for last in his song dedicated to the music industry types that forced him to seek a new label to record on. The song is appropriately enough titled "Swindler's Lust." It begins with "If you don't own the master, the master owns you....who you gonna trust with Swindler's Lust?...." This is a brutal assault on a music industry that exploits it's artists for the bottom line: making money hand over fist. It ends with a tribute of sorts to those artists who paved the way for rap and hip hop and received next to nothing for the hits they cranked out.

The whole album, in my opinion, is one of "Public Enemy's" stronger albums. It's great to see that they're back, and even if I don't always agree with them, it's great to see their eyes are still open and their music is still powerful. Fans of hip hop should really enjoy this one.