Whorgasm

Smothered : Remake Remodel (Rawkus)
by J. Lianna Ness

Originally released on Royalty Records, Rawkus Entertainment now offers us a beautifully packaged 2-CD set. Vocalist/Guitarist/ Programmer Jimmy Harry worked with RuPaul (“Supermodel” is all his fault), but Whorgasm (named after a Nick Zedd film) is anything but pop. The overall sound is somewhat akin to White Zombie-meets-NIN and Ministry, with elements of Pink Floyd and Pantera. There’s never a dull moment with heavy-hitting aural assaults like “Drive,” “Sensatorium” (with it’s catchy shout-chorus of “Hey! Ho! Hey! Ho!”), “Crash,” and “Scream Motherfucker” (the latter two pretty much express what Smothered is all about). “Numb” is a powerful psychedelic-laced track while “Aladdin Sane” (a Bowie cover) and “Flicker of Hope” take trip-hop (or, as the band prefers, “sick-hop”) to dizzying new heights. The second disc contains several re-mixes of “Numb” and “Sensatorium” (and one of “Drive”), as well as a brutal, butchered version of Deep Purple’s “Highway Star.” Twisted, savage stuff.