Tonight the Stars Revolt! is the second studio album and major label debut by American rock band Powerman 5000. It was released on July 20, 1999, by DreamWorks Records. Having sold over one million copies and achieving platinum status, this would become the group's most successful release and featured such hits as "Nobody's Real" and "When Worlds Collide".
| Tonight the Stars Revolt! | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 20, 1999 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:09 | |||
| Label | DreamWorks | |||
| Producer |
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| Powerman 5000 chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Tonight the Stars Revolt! | ||||
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Composition
editBuilding on the style of their previous album, Powerman 5000 expands the band's style to combine "roaring heavy metal with electronics and sound effects" and lyrics chanted in a monotone voice.[2] The album stylistically departs from the funk metal sound of their debut in favor of industrial and nu metal songs inspired by B-movie and comic book science fiction.[1] The album's lyrics are themed around "gods and monsters, global annihilation and man-machines hungering for destruction."[3]
The album shares the same title as a story written by Gardner Fox published in the pulp science fiction magazine Planet Stories (1952).[4][5]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau |  [6] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
| Yahoo! Music | (favorable)[7] |
Awards
editThe album won the Boston Music Awards for "Album of the Year" in 2000, while "When Worlds Collide" was nominated for "Single of the Year".[9]
Track listing
editAll lyrics by Spider One; all music by Powerman 5000, except "Good Times Roll" by the Cars.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "An Eye Is Upon You" (featuring Malachi Throne) | 0:51 |
| 2. | "Supernova Goes Pop" | 3:14 |
| 3. | "When Worlds Collide" | 2:58 |
| 4. | "Nobody's Real" | 2:54 |
| 5. | "System 11:11" | 0:48 |
| 6. | "Tonight the Stars Revolt!" | 2:42 |
| 7. | "Automatic" | 3:22 |
| 8. | "The Son of X-51" | 2:58 |
| 9. | "Operate, Annihilate" | 3:48 |
| 10. | "Blast Off to Nowhere" (featuring Rob Zombie) | 3:45 |
| 11. | "They Know Who You Are" | 2:33 |
| 12. | "Good Times Roll" (featuring DJ Lethal) | 2:33 |
| 13. | "Watch the Sky for Me" (featuring Ginger Fish and Malachi Throne) | 5:22 |
| Total length: | 39:09 | |
Notes
- The song "Watch the Sky for Me" ends at minute 3:50. After 30 seconds of silence (3:50–4:20), the hidden track "The World of the Dead" starts.
Personnel
edit- Spider One – vocals
- Adam 12 – guitar
- M.33 – guitar
- Dorian 27 – bass
- Al 3 – drums
Production
- Chapman Baehler – photography
- Tom Baker – mastering
- Joe Barresi – engineer
- Ginger Fish – piano
- Frank Gryner – mixing
- Scott Humphrey – programming, mixing
- Sylvia Massy – producer, engineer
- Marc LaCorte – programming
- DJ Lethal – turntables
- Spider One – art direction, design
- Nika – art direction, design
- Malachi Throne – narrator
- Ulrich Wild – producer, mixing
- Rob Zombie – vocals (track 10)
Charts
edit
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[12] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- 1 2 Lemeshow-Barooshian, Rae (January 8, 2019). "The Top 50 Nu-Metal Albums of All Time". Loudwire. Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- 1 2 Huey, Steve. "Tonight the Stars Revolt! Review". AllMusic. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- 1 2 Weingarten, Marc (August 19, 1999). "Powerman 5000: Tonight the Stars Revolt! : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 22, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
- ↑ "Planet Stories v05 05 - Tonight the Stars Revolt! - Gardner F. Fox".
- ↑ "Planet Stories (1939-1955 Fiction House) Pulp comic books". www.mycomicshop.com. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
- ↑ Robert Christgau review
- ↑ Yahoo! Music review
- ↑ "Powerman 5000 - Tonight The Stars Revolt! CD Album MP3". Cduniverse.com. July 20, 1999. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
- ↑ "POWERMAN 5000 FAN ALLIANCE NEWSLETTER". Archived from the original on December 10, 2000.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ "Powerman 5000, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 14, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Powerman 5000 – Tonight the Stars Revolt!". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 6, 2023.