MODS CARVE THE PIG - ASSASSINS, TOADS AND GOD'S FLESH

3.5 stars. The title for this album is a mouthful. And this is album number two for this four piece from Michigan. They did manage to release five studio albums before calling it a day. Singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer Brent Oberlin is the only musician on all five. The lineup would change often after the first two records. And those first two albums do seem like companion records with both having Salvador Dali cover arts. I understand they would scale their extreme and adventerous sound after this one.

So while you know it's the same band with the first two records it is surprising how much their sound has changed. Of course Brent was quoted as saying he'd rather have a gun to the back of his head than make back to back same albums. Yes this second one is where they start to scale back the insanity. To my ears the instrumental sections just aren't as complex or thrashy or cold. We get some melody and warmth on this one but one foot is still in the extreme. The vocals to my ears are more of the focus here.

There's at least some tracks I actually enjoy here. The final two numbers along with "Gelatin" and "Boil". A top four! Yes. this one surprised me often for how much it is different from their 1992 debut. I mean this is just a year later with the same players. Now I need to point out that the opener is something like I've never heard. "Horsepowered" at 3 minutes opens with the singer screaming and it really doesn't end. Or that's what it feels like. Awful and annoying to my ears(lol). And while "Daterape Cookbook" might sound funny to a young band, it's not.

I like the sample of a nerd talking to end "Boil" followed by a scream. "Michigan Jesus" sounds like a short under 2 minute punk song. Tons of energy. More samples to end "Republicans In Love" while "Patiently Waiting For Summer" is something that I used to do up here in Canada. It seems like the older I get the less that matters. This is about as normal a song as you will hear from this band on those first two recordings. I like the proggy closer as well.

Better than the debut but still a mixed bag in my opinion.

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