MR. BUNGLE
The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny (no label)
Reviewed by Jason Thornberry

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You can't accuse these guys from San Francisco of flogging a dead horse, like a lot of groups do. Their newest cd, California, is an almost impenetrable wall of different musical kitchen sinks, heaped with styles, each flying violently together. On "Raging Wrath…," which was recorded in 1986 (on four-track), the focus is on the speed-metal and thrash then made popular by Testament, Anthrax, Slayer, Violence (now Machine Head, at least in part), Dark Angel, Exodus, and a blemish-covered, pre-haircut Metallica. You get the super-fast guitars, polka drum spasms, and Mike Patton's version of that era's vocals. You also get the trappings of that short-lived period: riffs galore, songs built around throwing as many changes together as possible, and I-just-discovered-the-whammy-bar solos. A hilarious album, if only to hear Patton give his impersonation of someone being attacked by Jaws on "Spreading the Thighs of Death" and "Raping Your Mind." You could only imagine the looks of horror the suits at Warner Brothers would have given this were it not self-released five years prior to their "big break." [Find info at www.bunglefever.com.]

© 2000 - Jason Thornberry