CD, Crunch Pod, 2009
www.tellmeaboutmyuterus.com
The common preconception of Matt “Caustic” Fanale is one of a beer-swillin’, crude, bald man who would happily make merry with your more attractive daughters while beating you to death with a colostomy bag. Thus it is quite difficult to qualify the use of words like “mature” or “serious” when discussing his most recent release – the entirely immaturely, trivially named “This is Jizzcore”.
Nevertheless, these are the most apt adjectives for the task at hand: despite its nomenclature, “Jizzcore” is head and shoulders above previous releases from this artist, displaying a new-found musical maturity and a serious view of what makes Caustic tick. In his own words, Fanale describes this as the first “real” Caustic disc he has done, and what he has been trying to achieve for years. Admittedly, albums like “Booze Up and Riot” and “Unicorns, Kittens & Shit” were not without their own special appeal – they were undeniably entertaining and definitely unique in their brand of tongue-in-cheek industrial chaos. But “This is Jizzcore” takes things even further. The same “don’t-give-a-fuck” attitude is still there, in spades, but the musical and technical proficiency Fanale has gained over the past few years shines through. This is really a well-produced album, filled with a great variety of sounds and styles – from full-on powernoise percussion (on tracks like “The Inmates Have Taken Over”), to cheesy electro (“Cock Blockin’ Beats”), to an IDM collaboration with Nerve Filter (Tom Shear of Assemblage 23’s side project) on “Formula 420”. There is even a bonus disc (sadly, available on preorders only) of “acoustic” performances that, while not particularly successful from a musical perspective, is unquestionably brilliant from a comedic point of view. The psychobilly flavour given to “Booze Up and Riot” has you bobbing your head and tapping your toes while wetting yourself laughing at the incongruity of it all. The same can be said for short filler tracks like “I Wanna Stay Wasted”.
On the subject of bonuses, the second disc is crammed with really good remixes from respected artists including KiEw, Prometheus Burning and Hypnoskull, among others. Modulate’s remix of “The Bible, the Bottle, the Bomb” kicks things off in unforgettable fashion – as well as being a definite club hit in the making, with massive dance floor appeal, this track is the closest thing to serious social commentary Caustic has created. There are also a few additional tracks, such as Caustic’s personal indictment of the over-popularity given by the “zombie hordes” to scene favourites, like Combichrist, on “This Fuck Will Shut You Up”. We live in hope that mindless DJs the world over will see the light…
Love him or hate him, you have to respect Matt “Caustic” Fanale. He is doing what he enjoys, for himself, not catering to the whims of an excessively fickle audience (that will, no doubt, tar and feather him for his “Anti-LaPlegua” stance, as detailed above). And, what’s more, he’s doing it with style. “This is Jizzcore” may not be the most political, nor even the most conceptual album that the contemporary industrial scene has spawned, but it is easily and undoubtedly one of the most entertaining. It is in view of the enjoyable, if sociopathic, comedic nature of “This is Jizzcore” that I feel justified in recommending it wholeheartedly.
[8.5/10]
— David vander Merwe