Coping off the riff for Metallica’s “Motorbreath†in the beginning of the track, the opening “G.W. Cunt†is a high-water mark for these two individuals, Joe Hiles and George McSweeney. The track is only around a minute, but political beliefs don’t need to be long, drawn-out treaties or discussion. “Pentagram Agenda 1984â€, as well as the rest of the tracks on the disc, feature guest drumming by Brock Ailes, from The Freedumb Fries. In this second track, however, we have some nice double-bass pedaling to go along well with the brutal guitar riffs and Slayer-like solo contained within. Cruci-Fetus is Dead Kennedys, Anal Cunt, and Aus Rotten all rolled in one, and they are on a mission to fight injustice and the fucked-up system in which they currently live. Five tracks blow through the listeners ears almost too fast to be picked up, but the tracks will inexplicably stay with you for a long time.
This mixture of 80’s metal guitar along with the surfer-punk vocals of Joe and the more grave vocals of George brings an immediacy to this disc – if we don’t go in and fuck things up, all things will simply go to pot. Each consecutive track brings something to the foray, and track four is no difference. Coming up with a guitar line that cuts through the distortion of the recording (intentionally recorded that way to give the entire disc a certain feel to it), Cruci-Fetus sonically blasts their listeners in two different ways: the twin dragons of the vocals during the chorus, and the blazing solo during the bridge. With a ring-distortion on the guitar not unlike that of a Stabbing Westward song, Wires (Cautionary) adds some middle eastern sounding riffs to the mix.
A final track, recorded with Jared Allen (from The Freedumb Fries) on vocals, was left off the commercial release of the disc. I have to commend the guys for actually putting their foot down on this one: the track, while it may have been slightly catchy, added a modicum of silliness to the CD that was to be found no where else on it. While this was their first recording, and only done after a small time together, I see no limit to where Cruci-Fetus can go, provided that they find a drummer at the talent level of Brock, and are able to pull off the multi-part vocals as well as they are recorded on the disc. I have total faith in the stage show of Cruci-Fetus: the individuals in the band are loud, intelligent about political subjects, and opinionated. If you see this disc somewhere or a flyer for a local show, make sure you can stop by for what promises to be a killer show.
Rating: 7.6/10
Top Track: G.W. Cunt
Cruci-Fetus – Demo / 5 Songs / 2003 Self-Released / Reviewed 20 December 2003 / Released October 2003