Saturday, April 20, 2013

Acid Drinkers - Strip Tease (1992)

Keeping with the Polish bands, we now have Acid Drinkers. AD are the only band with a similar sound to Wolfspider - they even share a lead guitarist - Popcorn (Dariusz Popowicz?). They are like the mischevious younger brother, full of untamed energy and rebellion, and with  a somewhat crude sense of humour.

The cover is... well I can imagine Americans might find it rather offensive. You see, it depicts the statue of liberty, with helicopters lifting the skirt to reveal rather muscular legs and rather detailed stone phallus. There's a dented coke can in the foreground and three balls in the lamp. 

"Strip Tease" is crazy, chaotic and frantic with the guitarists charging together for the finish line, occasionalyl jumping over one another in their quest for audio dominance. The lyrics are equally frenzied, it's a wonder vocalist Titus doesn't trip over his tongue. You can't understand what he's saying -  the "delightful"* broken English is only apparent when you read the lyric sheet, ie:
"Dear blockhead, dear lovely muthaf**ker, I present you a panorama of my crotch.Are you indignant?"
And I've discovered a new word too - psychical! It means: Of, relating to, affecting, or influenced by the human mind or psyche; mental.

And here I thought they were making it up.

Laughing rhythms and a cough herald "King King Bless You!" Vocals are slower, funkier, and have a kind of cartoon feel. Admittedly that cartoon would have to be South Park. Actually, this really does sound like South Park. If South Park performed Thrash Metal. Titus even sounds a little like Cartman, with the squawk to his voice.

Surprisingly good guitars, and what is this? A Metallic cover! An ACOUSTIC Metallica cover by one of the craziest thrash metal bands ever to come out of Eastern Europe. It's "Seek and Destroy" and has an almost eastern vibe going for it. It's actually really very good. I believe there's a guest vocalist on here, adding a shrill, thin, feminine voice to the chorus. This is the kind of cover song I like - sounding little like the original.

I'm not sure how to describe the intro to "Rock N Roll Beast". It sounds a little like a grown-up pretending to be a toddler that's possessed by a demon. The music is chaotic and frantic, the rhythms a swift and tangled complication. The chorus is fast and funky.

"Rats/Feeling Nasty" has Titus switching from his squawk and into a lower register (at least at first). The guitarist/s seem to be sliding up their guitar. Then it switches to classical, and falls into something akin to funk metal. It's all over the place, but crazy fun.

However, "Poplin Twist" is surprisingly sophisticated. It's slower, with steadier rhythms, some very trebbly percussion lines and vocals of a lower and less cartoon-chicken-like. Some nice harmonising on the choruses. Lyrics are rather nonsensical, but oddly amusing:
"I leave the shadow of my shapely ass for those sick prophets, leave them alone."
 "Masterhoods of Hearts Devouring" starts with a roaring, raucous, rampage; before suddenly switching to piano and melodious guitar rhythms. Just ever so slightly off key, and with the drummer being slightly off time. Then BAM the vocals storm the song, so fast and reckless that it's completely indecipherable.

"You Are Lost My Dear" has stronger metal and funk fusion rhythms.

Back into something weird, "Menel Song" is acoustic and mostly vocal, with only light drums and guitar for accompaniment, along with weird blasting noises. Titus still sounds like a dangerous cartoon bird. Combined, interwoven with the verses is a chorus of  "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life".Which says a lot about where their humour is coming from.

Some rather technical structures, guitars that sound faintly sci-fi, and chug-chug-chug rhythms display that fact that these are competent musicians (despite some evidence to the contrary). "Blood is Boiling" feels more like a traditional thrash song.

"My Caddish Promise" starts with slamming, thrashing instruments and zappy laser noises. Most bands do love songs, AD do a hate song. With really weird lyrics.
"I require it, my sweet sexual straggeler cremate yourself for me."
It's hard to describe the vocals, some words seem to have bits clipped off them, adding an odd accentuation to the lyrics. I think there are two vocalists doing this track, because Titus's squawk is also in there.

"I will hate you tomorrow, just like I hate you today. It is my caddish promise."
Another competent and technical opening to "Mentally Deficient". Vocals hurried and raucous. Slowing, speeding. Twangy guitar rhythms. Slamming drums. Guitar races.


"Hell it is a Place on Earth" is another fast, thrashy, number with an element of melody buried somewhere in there.

Creeping, creeping, we have "Ronnie and the Brother Spider". Seems to be about how Ronnie has died, at the edge of town. Vocals are somewhat funky. Full of explectives.

"I'm a Rocker" is another chaotic and crazy piece, with little to recommend it.


Acid Drinkers are crazy. Quirky. Fun. Titus's voice gets on your nerve after a while: he sounds a little like a caricature. The rhythms are all over the place, racing each other, slowing, jerking back and forth and sometimes out of time (but it seems to be on purpose). The humour is somewhat offensive, and the entire album is peppered with swear words, but it has a playful appeal - for those who like that sort of thing. For those that don't, this album would suck. It's very trebly, with some complex musical arrangements and the guitarists show technical prowess, even if they're indecisive about where to go. They're either insane or geniuses, but they're definitely different.

Rating = 6.5/10

* Where's your punctuation for sarcasm when you need it?

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