3 out of 5

Label: Thirsty Ear

Producer: J.G. Thirlwell

‘Hole’ is the sound of Thirlwell learning to reign his style in a bit, hone it into the sharpened beast of smirking noise that make up the best Foetus tracks.  But it won’t come instantly.  Previous album ‘Deaf’ was highs and lows, and ‘Hole’ experiences, for better or worse, neither of those – nothing nearly as appealingly spastic or as ear-achingly caustic.  Opening track ‘Clothes Hoist’ tries to emulate the yelping thumpa-thump of ‘New York or Bust,’ but despite its initial head-shaking sample, it never quite achieves a lyric or moment that grabs you.  ‘Lust for Death’ and ‘Hot Horse’ fare a little better, coming across as a unique balance between the energetic numbers and the compositional skills J.G. was just learning to toy with, but ‘Sick Man,’ in the middle of the album, is where things start to stick – good lyrics, good quiet-to-loud melody that’s immediately discernible, and a last-minute breakdown that’s pure Foetus – silly but snarling.  The remainder of the album plays to the middle ground, tippling a little heavily toward political jabs which date it a bit, but its still a good, fun beat for the most part.

‘Hole’ is J.G. finding his sound.  It’s a nice and short album, and doesn’t truly have many standout moments, but it’s an essential bridge in the Foetus collection.