The Metal Files

In 1992 I went to visit Kelz at JMU during his junior year there.  I drove my sweet 82 Trans Am up there.  It was a total blast, at least what I remember of it.  Actually, there are only a few memories of that weekend in tact in my brain.  We drank a lot of beer, mostly at some bar called JM’s.  We played the video bowling game there and seemed to get better the more we drank.  We went to some guy’s house and listened to Dwight Yoakam.   I met some girl named Ursula.  I was extremely hungover that Saturday morning.  Somewhere there’s a photo of me dead on his couch in so much pain.  But the main thing I do remember from that weekend was the music I was introduced to…Foetus, Rapeman, Iron Prostate and Motorpsycho (USA band) and even Motorhead to a lesser degree.  I was also introduced to the Spawn comic book that weekend.  That was a great series fro about 50 issues.  But more on the other bands some other time, today is about the Rapeman album.  I liked it the 2-3 times I listened to it while up at JMU that weekend and never bothered much with it again.

Flash forward to July 4, 2009.  Jason McMaster and I rode down to San Antonio to check out a legendary record store called Hog Wild Records.  The place has been there since the 70s and I always like seeing the independent shops that are still around, even if they are making it by the skin of their teeth.  It is a cool shop and I dropped $60 easily in there.  One of the things I picked up was Rapeman’s Two Nuns and a Pack Mule CD used for $5 in mint condition.  I hadn’t thought about that album in years and had to buy it.  I was hoping I’d still like it.  There have been a few purchases of “back in the day” albums that I loved then and don’t care for now.  Fortunately for me, this one still sits well in my listening palette.  I’ve spun it at least 10 times since last weekend and I like it more and more each time I hear it.

I’ve seen it classified as post-hardcore.  To me it sounds like a live Foetus album in some ways.  A little frantic yet controlled…and without the digital samples.  The guy’s voice even resembles Thirwell’s in places.  The version I am posting has the BUDD EP include as well.

Download it here.