Women are remapping the underground scene. Bands like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Hole and L7 are paving the way for listeners to hear women beyond coffee houses and suburban basements.

The first major release from these bands is L7's offering, Bricks Are Heavy. Though they more than prove women can play as loudly and as passionately as men, the album disappoints.

Aside from scaring insensitive white males into acting politically correct, the album should just about annoy everyone.

From the first track, "Wargasm," to the closer, "This Ain't Pleasure," L7 spews a worn-out formula -- L7 members are pissed. They take aim at insensitivity with metallic guitars, pulpy bass and kinetic drum beats.

All this is fine in theory but it wears thin real quick.

With "Wargasm," L7 provides a power-grunge fix but not without laughable lyrics. When they harmonize "Wargasm turn us on," you get the feeling that they don't know exactly what they are singing about. What is a Wargasm anyway?

It does get better.

The first single, "Pretend We're Dead," should provide ample beats to enthrall even MTV execs. It will inspire women everywhere to form their own mosh pits and kick the shit out of any condescending male (notice a trend here?). Lines like, "Crampin' styles is the plan/They got us in the palm of every hand/When we pretend we're dead," should awaken some women.

The anger turns ugly with "Diet Pill." Again using the same pounding thrash formula that's prevalent in most of the band's songs, it becomes tedious rather than fun. Lyrics like "My diet pill is wearin' off" and "Calgon can't take me away" come off as contrived and unthreatening.

By the end of Bricks Are Heavy, L7 metamorphizes into a parody of itself. Musically, most of the songs come off as bad Kiss rip-offs.

Maybe it's just me and my white-male insecurities, but L7 is more Bermuda Triangle than the cool squares they make themselves out to be.

For my ears, I'll take the Breeders, Bikini Kill, Helter Skillet and Hole over L7 any day.