Foetus

¡Male! (Atavistic)
by Lex Marburger

This here’s an apparent re-release of a series of live shows from the early ’90s. The version here of Foetus has Uncle Jim at his most rock-star, a period right before he had to dry out or die. Due to the conspicuous lack of special features or liner notes, the line-up is a mystery, but at the time, he was playing with members of Cop Shoot Cop and The Swans, among others. The songs move away from the “systems music” of previous Foetus incarnations, and plow solidly through bone-crushing rhythms and churning guitar. Songs on ¡Male! include “Free James Brown,” “Butterfly Potion,” “English Faggot,” and “Behemoth.” A few things jump out at you on first veiwing: One, digital video has come a long way since ’93. Two, the songs are as powerful now as they were then, soilidifying Foetus as a seminal innovator of many tricks bands today are still trying to recreate. Third, Jim is sporting a mullet highly similar to Richard Marx’s.
(www.atavistic.com, www.musicvideodistributors.com)