Elctrikchair is a band with Lawrence roots that has a little bit of everything to bring to the table. It would be hard to classify them as just one particular strand of metal when in fact they’re a mix of quite a few things.

Their newest album, “Xenophobia,” released in November 2009, is one of their most defining yet. As the spelling of the name reflects, it’s something that makes itself defined from the rest of the metal genre.

“Xenophobia” is undoubtedly unique for its song structures, but it still follows a few basic rules of metal (bone-crushing guitar riffs, double bass pedal drum, etc.).

One thing that listeners may find interesting is that no matter how heavy a song will get, it almost always stays in a melodic fashion. The dulcet synthesizer, accompanied by the highly active guitars, subaqueous reach of the bass, vicious bite of the drums and the seemingly barbarous vocals achieve a musical harmony as soon as a song from the CD begins to play.

As far as vocals go, it focuses on growling and will throw in a few screams accompanied by “clean” singing. Track No. 5, “End of the World Watcher,” would more than likely be the epitome of what I’ve just described. I bought the album directly from the band members themselves, who were strolling around in downtown Lawrence, and as soon as they previewed their music to me, I was instantly fond of the music (not to mention the band members themselves). The album itself is anything except a cacophony and is a direct deliverance from the underground of metal music.

If there were any cons that stood out, it would be that it takes a while to get used to because it’s not what a metal head would expect. That doesn’t mean the album is bad at all, it’s just a bit different — yet that’s a point that helps diversify Elctrikchair.

I would rate the album a 7.5 out of 10. The album is available on Best Buy’s Web site. Whether it’s the mix of the elements that play in the music or that it’s something new, “Xenophobia” brings a little something for everyone.