| These guys are the epitome of raunch, sort of the East coast's answer to The Mentors, or a hetero version of the Impotent Sea Snakes. The material on this disc is priceless. "Foreplay", "Eat Shit and Prosper", and "Rent-a-Placenta" are works of comedic genius. "Blowin' in the Wind" is outrageous as well, and "Addicted to Crack" (about Liberace) reinforces that these guys are a metal band, despite their humorous orientation. The sound quality of the album isn't great, but these guys are not about razor-sharp production, they're about being committed to their musical idiom, and they succeed wildly. This disc doesn't contain alot of screaming leads or atomic riffing, and the arrangements are pretty basic, but it does contain some truly clever writing and an attitude that should have distinguished them more than it did. Intense Mutilation seems to be a pretty obscure unit, which is a shame because they really had alot to contribute to the scene. They don't fall into the kind of generic thematic orientation you find in alot of other stuff, and this has unfortunately led to them being viewed by some as a bit of a novelty act. But I love stuff like Motorhead, Happy Flowers, and The Mentors. I think music can be fun and still be important, and I'm not offended by bands that display a sense of humor. If you can appreciate a band that does "Louie Louie" with the original lyrics replaced by "Chew me, chew me/Oh, baby/She made it grow now", or a song that begins "Dr. Ruth Westheimer says that foreplay should last 20 minutes; who the hell's got the patience for that?", then you'll probably really enjoy this. Intense Mutilation is a distinctive, talented band, and "Safe Sex" deserves a serious listen by anyone who doesn't believe music has to be all serious all the time. |