Beats Or No Beats?

I wrote some lyrics for this new song and recorded them last week. They need work, but it's nice to finally have something.

Now that I've been living with this piece of music for a couple of months, I'm seriously considering removing the electronic percussion altogether. Tara said it sounds like really cool video-game music, but then I found out she thinks most punk/metal sounds like video-game music if you take out the vocals. And she's kind of right. But it got me thinking, would my music sound more genuine without the electronic thumps and cymbals?

I could add some tambourine, played with a drumstick, but I tried that last week. It was really hard to keep up with my very technical composition and its constantly changing time signatures. I could keep trying, though. Or I could just do without percussion, since only the programmed kind is in my wheelhouse. I could also add some cool reverb and other effects to my guitar and vocals, just for fun.

Something to dwell on. I'd welcome any feedback. I know it would help a lot to actually get to hear the music, but I'm not ready to share it with the world yet. I'll make it available privately to anyone who asks. The style is fast math/noise rock with a western vibe.