What with the goofy gross-out cover art and lyrics like "We may be retarded" and "I'm a f*ckin' idiot," you'd be forgiven for expecting something a little bit out of the ordinary from
Mental. But you'd be mistaken. Everything else about this band is paint-by-the-numbers, from the tedious songs about strength and unity and self-sufficiency and loyalty to "the scene" to the jackrabbit tempos and dense early-'80s-style guitar attack that characterizes the sound of this and almost every other straight-edge band out there. The first six tracks are taken from the band's 7" vinyl demo; the remaining ten (including a fine cover version of
Supertouch's "Searchin'") were newly recorded for this release. But unless you have an insatiable appetite for the same-old, same-old hardcore clamor, there's no reason to go out of your way for this one.