Sometimes a band’s sound takes a while to really crawl into your eardrums and not let go. Could Mike Watt’s pummeling bass lines sweeten the deal? Perhaps. There are still plenty of songs about blood and the devil, but the songwriting is more cohesive this time. There are some freaky characters in songs like “Cherry” and “Like a Zombie” that the musical grooves make even creepier. Jack Endino produces, so all are boxes checked in that department. I would like to catch the mayhem live at some point, but still no haircuts after the show guys. –Sean Koepenick (Hound Gawd!, [email protected])