Anal Cunt - Fuckin' A

Band: Anal Cunt

Album: Fuckin' A

Genre: Noise-Grind/"Cock Rock"

Love 'em, or hate 'em, Anal Cunt has made their mark on the extreme metal scene over the years.  Whether you remember them from I Like It When You Die, or Picnic of Love, you remember the band for their ridiculous atmosphere and "fuck you attitude."  Their latest effort, a take/parody on the 80's clam rock metal scene simply entitled Fuckin' A, held a lot of mystery and skepticism towards me when I first heard about the album.  My hesitant feelings were relieved from the first track, when I heard that the album actually kicked a lot of ass.  Here are all the juicy, sweaty, heroine induced details:

After hearing their first parody album, "Picnic of Love," I was almost certain that this album would be purely for entertainment value, stemming from how genuinely bad the album was as a whole.  I pressed play and the first track, entitled "Fuck Yeah."  To my dismay, the band actually put together a good collection of riffs and beats to give you the feel of the 80's, yet sloppy enough playing and production to still have the feel of an Anal Cunt album.

The album as a whole, is very cohesive and entertaining.  All of the songs feel right at home with the others, and while you may be disappointed that your favorite song on the track has just passed, the feelings will subside within 15 seconds of the following track.  One of the main contributers to the entertainment value of the album is it's intensity.  While the whole album sounds more like an 80's metal album, you'll be able to pick up hints of Motley Crew attitude mixed with Judas Priest style riffs, as displayed in the track "Hot Chicks on the Road," and "Whiskey, Coke, and Sluts."  

I have to say though; More than half of the intensity that resonated from this album is spawned from the vocals of the legendary Seth Putnam.  He provides two rather lengthy screams with pin-point precision in "Whiskey, Coke, and Sluts," and one jaw-dropping scream on the last track of the album.  All of his screams are precise, raw, and almost have a tinge of black metal mixed into them. It's an interesting combination of effort and sound on his behalf, considering I saw Putnam limping around with a cane this summer at an EYEHATEGOD show in Cambridge, MA.  It's good to hear him getting back into the groove of things, and coming harder than he ever has, on an album, before.

The other instruments on the album are surprisingly tight, coming from Anal Cunt.  Clearly, if you have heard any of their other albums, you'll recognize just how truly sloppy they play.  Whatever - It works for them.  But I digress.  The album has a nice flow generated by the instruments.  The guitars provide delicious little bits of feedback, and the drums hold solid, fast beats that really manifest the spirit of true 80's metal into the album. 

I only have a few complaints as far as the album is concerned.  There are a few sections of the track "Yay! It's Pink!" where Putnam's low growls kind of muck up the rest of the bands flow, simply because it's the raw vocals of old Anal Cunt, but it's far too loud and overpowering for the song.  Also.  While Anal Cunt does a great job melding their style with the 80's metal scene, it still just doesn't feel like a real Anal Cunt album.  I appreciate it for what it's worth, but I can't help missing their original noise-grind style.  Clearly, they can't do that given the genre that they are paying homage to/mocking, but I just feel like the album was restrained in the sense that the band couldn't fully be themselves.  But regardless, this album rocks.

So, if you enjoy any of Anal Cunt's past efforts, or you just dig 80's metal a lot, I highly recommend checking this album out.  It won't be the same Anal Cunt you used to listen to, but it's Anal Cunt none-the-less.  It's a light, fun, and catchy album that has a great replay value.  So go out and pick this shit up!

Score: 8/10