Babylon Rules

With a cover that depicts the mushed faces of Clockcleaner wrapped in plastic, Babylon Rules sounds a lot like it looks: warped, deranged, and pretty damn creepy. Singer John Sharkey spews forth paranoid howls through clenched teeth deep in a cavernous pit of reverb while the band churns sludgy, pummeling doom rock in slow distorted spasms. If the Horrors recorded an album on bad acid while fronted by David Yow and it was played at half speed, it would probably sound something like this. It's a style that doesn't quite seem appropriate on Load Records' noise rock roster, and because their sound doesn't fit neatly into any category, the group took it upon themselves to create their own genre that they lovingly call "Skull Music." It seems an appropriate title, especially in "Daddy Issues" as the bandmembers turn up the tempo to deliver some psychobilly-punk reminiscent of the Cramps wrestling the Misfits. The commotion is accented by breaking glass and Sharkey scowling "I wrote a song about you" just before he breaks into an ugly spiel about what he does to his lover behind closed doors. The fact that this is one of the album's most forgiving tunes might serve as proof that you shouldn't let a teenager listen to the Cro-Mags during his formative years. It isn't for everyone, but it might be worth a spin when you're in a horribly foul mood. Just don't listen to it near any sharp cutlery.