Acid Drinkers: Strip Tease (remaster)

Strip Tease, the third album by Polish metal titans Acid Drinkers, strikes a nifty balance between being utterly quirky, strangely humorous, and musically inspired. It's comprised of fifteen compositions, thirteen of which are original and feature such enlightening titles as "Ronnie and the Brother Spider" and "King Kong Bless You." There are also two covers: Metallica's classic "Seek & Destroy" gets the unplugged treatment and Monty Python's "Menel Song/Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" appears as a remake of sorts. This is a band that strives to take the non-typical path, and while thrash music might be at their core, they revel in being musically adventurous, or delightfully odd, depending on your point of view (the lead guitarist does go by the name of "Popcorn" after all). When this album was originally released in late 1992 thrash metal certainly wasn't in vogue or even close to being on the front burner of musical consciousness. Alternative music, or "grunge" as it was coined, had taken hold and left a lot of hard rock/metal bands out of vogue with the American public. Still, it wasn't enough to deter Acid Drinkers from continuing down the zany path they had already stomped out on their first two records. In fact, they seemed more than willing to expand upon on what they'd done previously and take their vision and style to the next level, giving grunge a good slap in the face in the process. The band certainly walk a fine line of coming across as a kitschy act, blending humor and zaniness into Anthrax-style grooves, but their fierce musicality and tightly woven arrangements cannot be ignored, and that helps give the songs weight and substance. Aside from all the humor, these guys can really play their instruments. It's important to note that Strip Tease features a very treble-dominated mix, which some might find underwhelming, depending on how much thump you enjoy in your music. If you relish a lot of low end, you'll certainly be disappointed. The lead vocals can also be quite abrasive, but aggressive singing is a trademark of the musical genre this album is attached to, so thrash fans probably won't mind much. Overall, Strip Tease is a very inspired sounding piece of work. You can tell the guys had a blast making it from start to finish, even though there was zero chance for it to gain mainstream acceptance. Most everything on this record (minus the two cover tunes) is fast, defiant, and aggressive, as if a direct response to the unwelcoming musical landscape that loomed over them at the time. If you enjoy off-the-wall thrash metal then you'll certainly find something to appreciate on this record.

Track Listing

1. Strip Tease
2. King Kong Bless You
3. Seek And Destroy (Metallica cover)
4. Rock 'N' Roll Beast
5. Rats/Feeling Nasty
6. Poplin Twist
7. Masterhood Of Hearts Devouring
8. You Are Lost My Dear
9. Menel Song/Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life (Monty Python)
10. Blood Is Boiling
11. My Caddish Promise
12. Mentally Deficient
13. Hell It Is A Place On Earth
14. Ronnie And The Brother Spider
15. I'm A Rocker

Added: May 11th 2009
Reviewer: Keith Schwier
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2003
Language: english

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