It’s been 26 years since The Jesus Lizard released their last full-length, Blue—33 years since their pivotal second album, Goat—and their influence is still heard in every corner of the underground music spectrum. Current bands like KEN Mode and Pile actively cite the impact of the noise-rock legends while other bands are drawing from that same well unaware, getting it second, third and maybe even fourth-hand at this point. It’s safe to say that the gravelly bass tones, dissonant guitar arrangements and unhinged wails of The Jesus Lizard have shaped independent music as we know it.
So, when the band announced their seventh studio album, Rack back in June, the question was, how would a Jesus Lizard record fare in a musical world they helped to shape? Would the seminal four-piece have been left in the discordant dust by the multiple generations of bands that had built upon their legacy, or would the elder statesmen, now in their 60s, still have something to say?
Rack kicks off with one of the record’s most immediate and forceful tracks, “Hide & Seek,” as if the quartet were trying to assert from the get-go that it’s all business as usual. The chunky bass line courtesy of David Wm. Sims, and the jagged guitar riffs ala Duane Denison certainly call to mind The Jesus Lizard’s early material, albeit a bit more reeled in and controlled. And vocalist David Yow can still scream and moan with the best of them, even if he sounds a bit less maniacal these days. But it all works, the band actually coming off as a matured version of their younger selves.
From there, the record plays out a bit more like something from The Jesus Lizard’s “middle period” of albums, Down and Shot. The faster tracks are interspersed between slower, more mid-paced rumblings, keeping a constant ebb and flow of structure and rhythm. So much of the material really relies on the sturdiness of Sims and drummer Mac McNeilly providing the canvas on which Denison and Yow paint. The undulated bass riffs and driving beats of songs like “Grind” and “Lady Godiva” (the latter of which features a lofty bass solo) propel the band through the anxiety-ridden bursts of energy, while songs like “What If?” and “Armistice Day” creep along lethargic rhythms.
While the music is distinctly like The Jesus Lizard, Denison’s riffs sound fresh. It’s clear he isn’t trying to mimic the riffs he made in his younger days. Instead, the guitarist sounds like he’s honed his approach in the ensuing years, dialing in on the particular elements he excelled at—juxtaposing sharp stabs of berating noise with soaring chord arrangements. Angular dissonance and punchy bouts of power chords are the main feature, but the sense of melody found in a song like “Is That Your Hand?” calls to mind Denison’s work in his other band, Tomahawk, and works well mixed into the chaos of The Jesus Lizard.
But of course, the star of the show on Rack is Yow. His frenzied ramblings steer the songs to the unhinged territories you’ve come to know from the band. There may be a bit more melody to his vocals here, but the frontman isn’t dropping any catchy refrains or sing-alongs. Whether he’s howling or groaning—or talking, in the case of “What If?”—he commands the space afforded him by the band to let loose with his twisted delivery.
Rack is a Jesus Lizard record through-and-through. The edges may have been a bit softened with time, but the quartet has maintained the core of their sound that set them apart in the early 90s. Nearly four decades since the band’s inception, they have released a record that holds up to their classics.
Bottomline: It’s hard to have high expectations for a band that has been out of the game for nearly three decades, but with Rack The Jesus Lizard have proven they still have it in them to make worthwhile, raucous noise rock album. The album doesn’t hold any surprises for the longtime fans, except maybe that the band still sounds good, and really, that’s all that matters.
55 comments
Post CommentZulu must be tired from all the W's they be gettin' son.
If Zulu had made this exact same album it would've been an easy 10
Hipster band for Decibel readers Jesus Christ dude, get off on your moms tit and shave the neckbeard. This band has been around and doing it long before whatever incel shit you jack off too.
Hipster band for Decibel readers Jesus Christ dude, get off on your moms tit and shave the neckbeard. This band has been around and doing it long before whatever incel shit you jack off too They didn't say anything about their longevity. It is hipster AF to post about an old dad rock bang like the Jesus lizard on a metal and hardcore website. you're basically going "look at me my musical tastes go beyond metal I'm so smart and eccentric, check out my vinyl collection and my loaders". Stfu dorks. Your Jesus lizard album is right next to your Jesus piece album go suck a turd from a c*nt
Jesus Christ dude, get off on your moms tit and shave the neckbeard. This band has been around and doing it long before whatever incel shit you jack off too. ^^since you don't have a sister. Your mother made her your brotherer.
This review absolutely sucks. This band absolutely sucks. Zulu 4 eva
I just wanted to stop by and say I've made it 2 whole days sober and I'm never coming back here again!
Oh, f*ck... *sits down on top of the guy already using the toilet*
Personally, I think that Jesus wasn't a Lziard parson
I have a message. Bandan Schieppati plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. It spun in. There were no survivors.
*a single cheetoh dust handprint decorates the door's exterior*
Personally, The Jesus Lizard is awesome. There's nothing more appealing to me than going home and having my son sit on my lap while I post here and we listen to their classic releases. When I was younger, I truly enjoyed seeing this band live; there was nothing like a Jesus Lizard show. The roar of the amps, the smell of the crowd. I think this album is better than Madonna's early works, and I'm ashamed this bullshit artist of a reviewer didn't note that. What a phony!
My dad said he could kick this bands whole ass imho?
My owner is gay and stinks like shit so I bit him -Portslobs_Dog
I want so badly to shove my erect cock into hatsune miku. Every night I lay awake thinking of miku dominating me, and being crushed by her thighs whilst I eat her pussy, I want her to pin me against a wall, and call me her bitch, and make her scream my name as I cum in her in that cute little vocaloid voice of hers, and pound her. Just the thought of her sucking my massive cock, or railing me with a strap on makes me cum in an instant. I cannot count how many sexual perverted fantasies I have about pounding her tight vocaloid pussy and running my hands through her blue hair but it is definitely over 1000. Even just writing this turns me on.
Bro are you for real ?like you say porn is fine it's not ok it's not fine and it's not just because some people don't like it's because it's gross you actually use a platform where you can see people f*cking you'r mostly one of those boys who watch porn and jerk off to any woman they see that's so disgusting ok and you didn't just take it like this because people like it it's because you like to watch porn and it's gross how do you live with yourself how do you look at women normally like if they saw you accidentally jerking off on your phone if your mom or sister or your friends saw you doing that or saw you get out of your bathroom with a towel on your hand wouldn't they know that you were just jerking off
It depends on how long you've been masturbating , semen Loss has direct impact on our dental health , skin health and most importantly our digestive health, over a period of time when enough semen has been ejaculated , it starts to extract semen from our own tissues and organs , when this happens , that's when you're heading for a disease, most people take it lightly, but trouble starts all of a sudden when you hit your 30's . Your tooth enamel is all zinc and calcium and each ejaculation contain vital minerals, our body is designed in such a way, it's first priority is reproduction at any cost, let's say you have ulcer in stomach, body's first priority is to restore semen after ejaculation and not heal body. Once semen is restored , that's when body starts to think of other organs. Your body's first priority will always be to restore the semen, that's why old people get premature ejaculations , because body will produce semen even at 100 years of age.
The exact moment I knew I was gay is when I first started watching SpongeBob. I didn't know what it was about him that made me want him so badly, but every time an episode came on my dick became rock solid. I knew I wanted to do more than merely watch this sponge. I wanted to f*ck his tight little juicy asshole. For years, I dreamed of pounding him from behind and filling him with my cum and watching it drip out of his pores. However, no matter how many times I choked my chicken to the mere thought of him, my lust for this sexy succulent sea sponge could not be satisfied. I tried everything, body pillows, dolls, even hiring a prostitute to dress up in a SpongeBob costume and suck my cock. Nothing was good enough. So, I made it my number one goal to create a hyper-realistic SpongeBob sex doll, so my fantasies could finally be brought to life.
No longer will those who also have a unquenchable thirst for Mr. SquarePants have to dream of releasing their sticky seed inside of his anal cavity, for they can now enjoy the real thing. But, creating this sex doll would not be an easy task, and this I knew. That's why I need your help to fund this Kickstarter. For donating $20, you get a T-shirt that says "I'm gay for SpongeBob SquarePants." For $40, you get the shirt and a coffee cup decorated with the finest SpongeBob rule 34. For $60, you get SpongeBob anal beads. For $100, you get a SpongeBob fleshlight that you can jizz in or whatever, plus all the other shit. Anything less than $20, and I'll just cum in a shoe box and mail it to your door, because f*ck you I don't need your peasant change. I would like to make the world a better place with this SpongeBob sex doll, because I believe that everyone deserves the right to stick their dick in a fictional sponge from a kid's show.
This album is ok, also, where do I go to contribute to the SpongeBob Sex Doll? Does The Jesus Lizard have a link to that on their website? I'm going to ask them, in person, about this.
Personally, I think it's pretty sweet The Jesus Lizard are sex positive and supporting the creation of a life like SpongeBob Square Pants sex doll!
Does LurkCity still have that retarded speech impediment?
Hello, is the Jesus Lizard/SpongeBob Ass Pussy still available for purchase?
anonymous 8 days ago They didn't say anything about their longevity. It is hipster AF to post about an old dad rock bang like the Jesus lizard on a metal and hardcore website. you're basically going "look at me my musical tastes go beyond metal I'm so smart and eccentric, check out my vinyl collection and my loaders". Stfu dorks. Your Jesus lizard album is right next to your Jesus piece album go suck a turd from a c*nt ^ I bet the dude who wrote this article is an even douchier hipster who still actively collets cd's and not even records
low t music for lanklets also CDs are for poor people so that tracks with anyone who writes for the site
Jesus Linkin Park