Those of you who thought this was gonna blow can breathe a sigh of relief, ‘cause I gotta admit it’s pretty friggin’ good. Lyrically, Jello lays bare the dark, embarrassing recesses of the American empire, while the Melvins bash away in punk rock abandon, referencing both Jello and punk’s past while pumping enough modern riffage to keep the whole thing from stinking of mothballs and stale clove cigs, resulting in what can only be described as one of Herr Biafra’s best collaborative releases to date. Hell, I’d even place it above the latter DK stuff if I weren’t sure I’d be burned at the stake for heresy by the puritanical hardcore unwashed who wouldn’t know a creative idea if it came and sat in their laps. Sure, there’s just a hint of metal in that guitar crunch, but somehow it actually complements rather than detracts from the proceedings. If you haven’t been whining like a spoiled brat for the genero-thrash follow-up to Bedtime for Democracy, this will satisfy in all the right ways.
–jimmy (Alternative Tentacles)