Pass-A-Fist R.E.X.
Heaven's Metal
March/April 1994 Issue #46
© 1994 Heaven's Metal Magazine
Page 50
Take a band as wacky as Chagall Guevara and remove its loony front man, Steve Taylor, and what do you get? A guitar-driven, industrial-influenced college rock non-violent album called Pass-A-Fist.
On this album, you can hear Dave Perkins' voice, albeit distorted, talk about healing, politics, and the Christ of the nuclear age. "Glock" is the fastest and most intense song here, with its fast vocal delivery and fuzzy psychedelic guitar tone, yet it's certainly not extreme like Circle of Dust. Most of this material, like "Christ of the Nuclear Age," sounds closer to an Under Midnight sound, where a discernable melody makes itself known (ie. the hook wins). The lead-off track, "Emmanuel Chant," is cool, with its heavy, ominous and edgy sound. "Lov-E 900," sporting a humorous view of modern day "love," has another good hook. One of the biggest surprises here is the Stones' cover of "Street Fightin' Man." Mick and Keith would probably be proud of this Lou Reed style version with a Bob Dylan sore throat. Musically, you can't go wrong with a classic like this.
"The Dr. Is In," which is subtitled, "Or how I learned to start worrying and miss the cold war," feature some funny sampling from the movie "Dr. Strangelove" and B-52 Bomber stat info. Shoot -- these are just a couple hippies that got a hold of some 90's musical gear.
--Spiny Norman