The Destruction of Commercial Scum

When I gave this album an 81, I really meant it. This is easily one of the most repulsive things I have ever witnessed, not solely in the domain of music, but period. I cannot completely consider it a genuine classic, but as a supreme monument to all things depraved and filth-ridden, it shall always stand tall in my mind.

Waco Jesus play a sort of pornographic/scatological death/grind melange that, like the recent influx of goregrind and "brutal" death metal bands, incorporates a substantial amount of groove amidst the uncompromising levels of speed. Lyrically, the band has a great deal in common with the Meatshits, but are entirely more interesting musically, and fortunately do not operate on the same level of retardation as Robert Deathrage's vehicle of mysogyny. What sets Waco Jesus apart from a large portion of its contemporaries is an advanced degree of logical structure within the compositions, and the uncompromising, yet vaguely original, approach to riff-writing. All of that coupled with a degree of veritable hatred evident in the performances makes for a compelling listen for fans of death/grind.

The problem with Waco Jesus is that they quickly wore out their welcome, specifically by the end of this album. I'll easily admit that a large amount of the appeal for this band and this album in particular is shock, and while the band acheives an extreme level thereof on so many levels, music like this really only works for one record. This should have been a one-off, yet seven (!) years later the band are still going, albeit not particularly strongly. Waco Jesus is a one-trick pony, and instead of allowing "The Destruction of Commercial Scum" to forever exist as a curiously depraved example of musical extremity (in all aspects) produced by a band that quickly faded into obscurity, which surely would have bolstered a legendary states, the group continues to produce music which quickly become uninspired and trite.

*EDIT 10/14/11: As it turns out, when I said "81%," I only thought I meant it. This is just another brutal death/grind album. There are literally hundreds just like it, and you really don't need another one. Sure, this has the goregrind groove in it which can certainly be infectious, but sitting here five years later I couldn't hum you a single riff off this record, couldn't knee-slap you a single drum pattern. It's extreme, yes, and it's caustic and shocking, but that only does not a near-classic album make.