steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

Repulsive Bile

"Emetophilia" C32

Prairie Fire Tapes

Genre: chunky excreta

Winnipeg, MB

March 2010

So folks, I pose to you this rather philosophical query: if you're going to make concept noise, what better theme to employ than vomit? The appropriately named Repulsive Bile puts that quandary to the test on this delightfully revolting thirty minutes of impulsive mania. Side A is an aggressive collage of death metal shrieking, blast beats, harsh noise and knob-twiddling, the spasmodic, bubbling nature of the torment closely evoking images of a tasty bilious upsurge. And then there's the themed cultural ephemera – Ren Hoek complaining about Stimpy's “stinky ol' gumhole,” ironic Top 40 radio announcer gab, grim forensic psychologist chatter... all in the name of “emetophlia.” It's a messy affair, but it's certainly never a boring one.

The even-more-repugnant B side has its foundation in a wretchedly exaggerated recording of profuse emesis, wrapping around it a veritable funhouse of noise and generally undisciplined chaos. With the wildly contorting noise imitating the churn and upchuck of freshly forming regurgitation, this side is just as evocative as the last – if a little less frantic. Amid the swirling vortex of excreta, one encounters a more restrained use of themed voiceclips, the only intelligible one being Frank Booth yelling “warm beer makes me puke!” For the faint of gut, this wretched cassette may evoke the heaves itself – but for the astutely disturbed mind, it's nothing short of a sinister treat.

Michael Tau

[Vitals: distributed by the label, released 2009]