It’s exhausting to say why I grabbed Mondo Generator’s subtly titled Fuck It from the promo bin however, in the event you’re placing me on the spot, I believe pleasure in all probability bought the higher of me. Not, I needs to be clear, pleasure as a result of I like Mondo Generator – I don’t – however merely the thrill of seeing a band I had really heard of, which had not already been snapped up by one of many nimbler reviewers. The brainchild of Nick Oliveri – and typically often known as Nick Oliveri’s Mondo Generator – of Kyuss, Dwarves and Queens of the Stone Age fame (amongst others), Mondo Generator has been round for fairly some time. Initially conceived as an Oliveri solo venture in 1997, debut Cocaine Rodeo materialized in 2000. Since then, an additional 4 full-lengths (plus a bunch of EPs, singles and a better of compilation) have appeared, most lately 2012’s surprisingly respectable Hell involves your Coronary heart.

Maybe to make up for this prolonged absence, new label Heavy Psych Sounds will likely be placing out not one, however two Mondo Generator albums this month: Fuck It and, per week later, the grammatically-annoying Shooters Bible (written and recorded, however not launched, in 2010). I’m, nonetheless, solely – and never tremendous , it needs to be mentioned – in Fuck It. Straight out the beginning gate, there may be little doubt you’re listening to an Oliveri venture. Inside in three songs, you’ve moved gracelessly via the bluesy desert rock of Kyuss (“Nowhere Man”), the punk-fueled adrenaline of Dwarves (“Up in opposition to the Void”) and the radio-pleasant groove of QOTSA (“Kyuss Dies!”). And this units the tone for the file as a complete, as Oliveri and co lurch via 14 jarringly assorted tracks, over a runtime that feels significantly longer than its precise 43 minutes.

Broadly talking, Mondo Generator have two moods on present on Fuck It. The primary is the form of acerbic punk rock that brings you lyrics like “nicely, I’m on the lookout for low-cost thrills, a fifth stuffed with whiskey and a head stuffed with capsules” (the excellently-named “Turboner”); the second is the extra attention-grabbing, however much less used, exhausting stoner rock of cuts just like the title observe and “Silver Tequila: 666 Miles Away.” I’ve tried quite a few methods of scripting this in order to keep away from merely describing tracks however it hasn’t labored so, you understand, fuck it, as they are saying. Caustic Dwarves-esque tracks like “When Loss of life Comes” and “It’s You I Don’t Imagine” supply simplistic thrashy punk, with Oliveri’s hoarse shouted vocals doing their not-so-delicate factor.  “S_V_E_T_L_A_N_A_S” sees Oliveri’s customary supply supplemented by name-and-response verses, with a excessive-pitched nearly Spanish-sounding … oh, fuck it, no matter.

There’s no getting round this. Fuck It is just not nice. The Mondo Generator of 2020 appears to lack each the meaty groove of final outing, Hell involves our Coronary heart, in addition to any actual standout tracks, just like the uncooked “Open Up & Bleed for Me” or the joyously galloping “Right here We Come,” each from 2003’s A Drug Drawback that By no means Existed. Though everyone knows Oliveri can deal with his bass expertly, and there may be stable sufficient work on drums and guitar from his band mates, there may be simply nothing memorable right here, together with riffs. Add to this a largely skinny, tinny sound (the true exceptions to this being the highlights of album opener “Nowhere Man” and “Kyuss Dies!”), with Oliveri’s raucous vocals too excessive within the combine, and there actually isn’t that a lot to suggest Fuck It.

To be clear, Fuck It is just not a horrible album however, to me, that is Mondo Generator in notably uninspired type. The perfect tracks – by far – are the opening three and the title observe, which really feel extra mature  and have higher depth (all relative on an album known as Fuck It) than the remainder of the file, which oscillates between irritating and forgettable. In case you like Dwarves and really feel that what you actually need is an album dominated by the rougher, punkier exhausting rock facet of earlier Mondo Generator outings, this is perhaps price trying out. If, like me, you have been hoping for a slab of exhausting rock, balancing the violent punk with some blues-tinged, melody … nicely, there’s one other Mondo Generator album popping out per week later, so there’s nonetheless hope.

Ranking: 2.0/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Web sites: heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com | fb.com/officialmondogenerator 
Launch Dates: Digital: 02.21.2020 | EU: 2020.02.21 | NA: 02.28.2020