Minus
Jesus Christ Bobby
Victory
Where the bloody ‘ell did this come from? To be coy and semi-exact, Iceland, but frankly (and most accurately), fuck if I know. What I do know is that Minus’ Jesus Christ Bobby is, as the band puts it, “disgusting music.” Right. Hardly heavy metal per se but most definitely heavy, Minus land at the locus of “extreme” with this, their sophomore outing (and first worldwide release). Not so much “music” as it is a collision of frequencies both foreign and familiar, the quizzically titled album revolves around a caustic axis that’s simultaneously bludgeoning and belittling, direct and directionless, catchy and cantankerous, contemptuous and tempting, ugly and beautiful, riddled with paradoxes, unanswered questions, and statements coded in an undecipherable language. A mess? Maybe. Like Ink & Dagger had they listened to Darkthrone instead of Danzig, Minus know very well where to steer their sledgehammered art-damage, stuttering and slugging away at a stultifying stretch: a maze of torment, with no map in sight. Quite simply, this is the epitome of extreme, and a new gold standard for all subsequently falling under that ripped n’ torn banner.
Victory Records, PO Box 146546, Chicago, IL 60614; http://www.victoryrecords.com
