This is
Soilent Green's first full-length, and while not as fully developed as its follow-up,
Sewn Mouth Secrets, it shows that the band already had its quick-changing, Southern-hardcore-metal hybrid pretty much in place by this point. Of all the band's albums, this one has the biggest death metal quotient (especially in terms of the vocals), but elements of doom metal, Southern rock, grindcore,
Melvins-like sludge,
Pantera-type groove-metal, and more are also on hand throughout. Highlights such as "Slapfuck," "Zebra Zombies," and the oddly titled "Golfers Just Love Punishment" do a good job of weaving all these different strands together, and have plenty of catchy, heavy riffs and breakdowns as well. There are great parts throughout the rest of the album, too, but a few songs feel disjointed, not flowing together very well from one section to the next (in contrast to
Sewn Mouth Secrets). The other slight drawback is frontman Ben Falgoust's vocals: As with the later albums, he uses several different voices, from guttural growls to high-pitched black metal-type shrieking, but on this album he also uses a sort of full-throated, bellowing style that doesn't quite work with the music (he dropped that particular voice on later albums). Keeping these minor flaws in mind, this album still stands out from at least 90 percent of the underground metal crowd in terms of originality, and is a worthwhile buy for fans of the group. ~ William York