SOUNDTRACK: MR. BUNGLE-The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo (2020/1986).
In 1986, Mr. Bungle released a demo tape called The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny.
In 2020, after a reunion tour of sorts, the band rerecorded the album, with some slight personnel changes. Original singer Mike Patton was still there as was masterful guitarist Trey Spruance and bassist Trevor Dunn. But they had two impressive guests stars (who also performed live with them), Scott Ian (from Anthrax) on rhythm guitar and Dave Lombardo, drummer extraordinaire.
And thus they re-recorded the initial demo. Fans of Mr. Bungle’s later genre bending work would be a little disappointed because this was pretty much a heavy heavy metal record. But it is Mr. Bungle so you know there’s gonna be some weird stuff too.
The only song they don’t play from the original is “Evil Satan” which is more or less a goof anyway.
“Grizzly Adams” opens the album with a very pretty guitar instrumental. Spruance really shines with this moody, weird piece. But even when the full band joins in in the last 30 seconds, it doesn’t prepare you for the heaviness to come.
“Anarchy Up Your Anus” is old school metal–heavy guitars with an Anthrax/Slayer vibe. There’s even a lengthy scream after the opening drum fills. This song has an opening narration by Rhea Perlman. Yes. Rhea Perlman. The narration comes from the Chilling, Thrilling Sounds Of The Haunted House Disney album (on the demo they just played the audio from the record).
“Raping Your Mind” is out of sequence from the demo (it was originally song 6). It continues with the heavy Anthrax-like riffage and some serious drumming. There’s a cool middle moment where there’s two guitar solos and just bass and drums in the back–there’s some seriously wicked guitar soloing going on.
“Hypocrites /Habla Español o Muere” was originally a longer song, but they decided to shorten it and add this humorous cover of the Stormtroopers of Death song. The title is mentioned in the first few seconds, then after 30 seconds, the song jumps into a bit of “la Cucaracha” and then segues into “Speak Spanish or Die.”
“Bungle Grind” is really heavy with some classic mosh sections and faster riffage.
“Methematics” is a new song. It’s a bit more standard heavy metal and not so much early thrash until the double bass drums kick. There’s lots of parts including a classic punk style in the middle. This is more akin to the later, adventurous Mr. Bungle, but at 8 minutes it is a little long.
“Eracist” is another new song. This one is great. Really catchy with some good old fashion metal riffs and chanted chorus. There’s a seriously heavy middle section, too.
“Spreading the Thighs of Death” was the third song on the demo. It’s some good fast thrash with wicked chord changes and massive double bass drum. There’s some really wild guitar soloing too.
“Loss For Words” is a Corrosion of Conformity cover. It’s a pretty serious cover version. Patton’s vocal delivery is even a little different.
“Glutton for Punishment” is another new song that fits into the classic riff an thump thrash. There’s a whispered vocal part where you can actually hear the words! And a fascinatingly fiddly guitar solo that left me wondering how he did it.
“Sudden Death” ended the demo and ends this as well. A heavy chugging riff and super fast thrashing–it’s impressive that they can keep it up for seven plus minutes. I rather liked the “yes/no” chanting at the end.
This album isn’t for everyone (as most Mr. Bungle albums aren’t). But it does show off some quality old school metal and some serious skill for a band covering themselves 30 years later.
[READ: March 24, 2021] Zed
I saw this book in Barnes & Noble and fell in love with the cover. I made sure to look for it at the library and was pretty psyched when it came in.
And I was pleased as soon as I started reading.
Set in the not too distant future, one tech company, Beetle, dominates the world. I thought that Beetle was pretty inspired name. It could be Apple (who have a connection to The Beatles, with Apple Records) and it looks a lot like the word Google, although I suppose it is probably closest to being about Amazon–with their online assistant Athena.
Nearly every citizen (the book takes place in London, but Beetle is global) wears a BeetleBand which monitors everything you do–like a Fitbit or Apple Watch on steroids.
It tells you when you are stressed or when you should hydrate or that you shouldn’t have that donut. Indeed, everything is now really “smart”: fridges, doors, cars. Everything in your house is monitoring you. And everyone has a Veep, a personal assistant who does everything for you (except for physical things, since it has no body). You pay for all the best stuff in Beetle bucks–the cryptocurrency that replaced actual money as the dominant currency. If you didn’t convert your pounds, euros or dollars, when the rate was good, you’re just stuck.
When the book says everyone, it’s really mostly everyone. There are some people who can’t afford such extravagance. People who don’t work for Beetle get paid in regular money which isn’t very useful. There are also neo-Luddites who want nothing to do with Beetle. But they are carefully monitored by Beetle.
Most people work and communicate in a virtual world with avatars that are some version of themselves. And most importantly, every person has a Lifechain–the algorithm that determines the longevity and happiness you should experience. This predictions are pretty much never wrong and everyone uses them to judge people–employers, police, etc. Everything you do, every decision you make changes our Lifehchain, which changes you likelihood of doing x y or zed. (more…)
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Anthrax is the only band of the classic heavy metal landscape that I’ve never seen (who I want to see, anyhow). I thought seeing them in Montclair would be an easy decision. They’re back to almost their original lineup (okay, not original, but “classic” lineup). And I thought a Tuesday night show less than an hour away would be perfect.
