For those who don't know, Foetus is Jim Thirlwell, a very important remixer who has worked with bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Front 242, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Einsturzende Neubauten, among others.

I must admit that, though I have known him as a remixer for almost 10 years now, that is, since I listened to a remix he did of Religion by Front 242, as an independent musician I just know him for 2 or 3 months.

Now, when I listened to this album I realised I had committed a mistake by not having paid him attention earlier.

Foetus denies to be considered "industrial". I'm not going to make a speech about my disliking labels and all that 'cos it would bore you, but I'll just tell you that Foetus IS industrial...AND LOTS OF MORE THINGS. When you listen to Foetus, and especially to this album and the previous ones, you realise of some things:

1. That the amazing band Einsturzende Neubauten (probably my second favourite band, just after The Legendary Pink Dots) were not alone in their concept of music made by inventing ayny instrument you can imagine.

2. That Thirlwell must listen to a lot of diverse music and he mixes all those influences in his records: industrial, jazz, lounge, classical, pop, punk...

3. That Foetus is an agressive band with a lot of sense of humour.

My favourite songs are:

- 'The Throne of Agony', where Foetus shows all his potentials, including agressiveness and sense of melody in the same packet.

-'Pigswill', where Foetus shows that Einsturzende Neubauten concept of noisy music, both descendants of Can's Tago Mago.

- 'Descent into the Inferno', a song which starts very calm, a sort of industrial blues which shows us the sensitive side of Foetus, but as it progresses everything starts to get more and more "punk-ish"

- 'Enter the Exterminator', where again the Einsturzende Neubauten similarities are obvious. More whispered than screamed.

- 'Anything', another good industrial song.

I used to be a pure industrial lover. Years ago I only listened to bands such as Front Line Assembly, Skinny Puppy, KMFDM, etc. Now I consider some (not all, of course)of those bands are too monolythical. Their voices (especially FLA's, Wumpscut's, etc) are distorted and lack humanity.
Foetus' voice is at first sight similar. But when you get used to his raw singing, you start to observe that he does a lot of things with his voice. He's more a sort of Nick Cave singer.

Nail is probably his best album. If you like it, get 'Hole', the previous album. You'll find there how Foetus dares even to parody Beach Boys.

One last thing. If you have never listened to Foetus, don't get scared by its name. I also thought this was going to be just another pseudo-gothic band with bad taste. (see Nosferatu, for example) But you'll get a band that should deserve more recognition.


Staggering. Truly.   March 25, 1999
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Very, very rarely do any artists of any description achieve such a total clarity of purpose and aim in any of their work. Jim Thirlwell, the madman behind this equally mad and maddening record, has put together an album that advertises itself -- in its lyrics, its melodies, and its graphics -- as THE record for the End of Everything As You Know It. Imagine, if you will, the soundtrack to a musical that stars Charles Manson, several SS commanders, a highway thrill-killer or three, and anyone and everyone else who's felt the Nietzschean Call of the Wild liberate their knife-hand. Mix it with electronic production and instrumentation that's second to none, overlay it with a bottom-of-a-tin-bucket rasp that's somewhere between Tom Waits and a very, very angry and very, very drunken Charles Bukowski, simmer for 45 minutes... and play. I first heard this record in 1988 and haven't been able to put it down since. Utter genius. Get it or you'll be forever incomplete.


A Masterpiece   July 9, 1999
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Jim Thirwell (a.k.a. Foetus) does NOT consider himself "industrial." He would just as soon crack your skull than call himself that. Regardless, many bands that DO label themselves as "industrial" have named him as one of their influences -- and with good cause. Foetus has managed to crank out an amazing set of music during his career. NAIL is far and away my favorite of all of his works. It's rather hard to put to words what it is about this LP that I like so much. As a whole it is an amazing, encompassing story about Earth as a living hell -- filled with perverts, racists, serial-killers, and the people who exploit them. The lyrics will singe your eyebrows at times, and at other times they are firmly planted tounge-in-cheek. The music is chaos to a beat, sometimes hailing to different genre styles such as swing, blues, and jazz. Metal clangs and crashes are abundant along with other noises sometimes too bizarre to describe with mere words. If you claim to like "industrial," or variations of it, you should do yourself a favor and buy this CD immediately. It may take some time to grow on you, but once it gets into your head you won't be able to get it out.


Thirlwell's sick and twisted masterpiece   November 14, 2004
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

This is the follow up album to HOLE, an excellent album in it's own right, but after listening to this, it seems that he was merely getting a running start for NAIL, his best album. Thirlwell comes off as a demented and evil Tom Waits, telling sordid stories of hell, hatred, suffering and misogyny. These tales are told with an angry delivery, tempered with a sense of humor that is, well, just WRONG, but right...

That sense of humor is what sets him apart from artists that came along later. They had the anger, but they lacked the humor. Mr. Thirlwell can say the most horrendous things, but by using a twist of phrase (musical or lyrical) he sets you giggling, albeit guiltily. But be warned, there's some truly offensive stuff here. It's not for the faint of heart, but for the brave and open minded there's an opportunity to hear a true pioneer, a man with talent that took real risks nearly *gulp* twenty years ago...




godfather of bands like ten inch nails and the like   June 14, 1998
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

What rip-off bands like nine inch nails lack, especially musical diversity and - in this case - true genius - Jim Thirlwell has more than enough of. Thirlwell takes you on an epic trip into the bowels of our culture. This album is extremely intense and is - even after 13 years absolutely valid. If you are into avantgarde music with an aggressive edge, this is a must buy.