Ass Cobra [ECD]

Recorded between 1995 and 1996, Ass Cobra was Turbonegro's breakthrough to the American underground. Though not quite the epic work that Apocalypse Dudes was, Ass Cobra nonetheless paves the way harshly, with a sinister wash of cymbals and loud guitars, articulate riffs, and stellar songwriting -- think Poison Idea meets Alice Cooper. It is here also where Turbonegro developed their signature look: sailor caps, denim from head to toe, mustaches all around, and decidedly butch homoerotic accoutrements. Indeed, the subject matter on Ass Cobra does not stray far from such themes; the album is unapologetically sexual, and not in a polite manner -- songs like "The Midnight NAMBLA," "I Got Erection," and "Young Boys Feet" hammer them home with leather-whipped fury. Part of that may be gallows humor, part of that might be truth, and that's for the listener to figure out. It's the dubiousness of that question that is most troubling. The cover art is a clever perversion of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. Though Turbonegro did quite a bit of recording prior to this album, this was the one that set the pace, and the one that enabled them to record their masterpiece, Apocalypse Dudes. ~ Patrick Kennedy