Upsidedown Cross-Evilution (1993)

 

Artist: Upsidedown Cross

Title: Evilution

Label: Taang!

Format: CD

Cat #: Taang! 70

Year of Release: 1993

Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 1993

Listed Condition: VG+/VG+

Sell Date: 9/19/21

Sell Price: $3.99

Discogs Last Sold: 4/27/21 $8.24

Low: $3.24

Median: $6.06

Average: $6.05

High: $8.24

Current low price: $2.00 VG+/ no cover, $4.99 M/NM

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 12

Have/Want: 135/62

Where Sold: Kingston, NH

Time it took to sell: 10 years

Where and When Bought: promo--I had 2 at one point, the second from Larry Lifeless himself

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade:A

Sad To See It Go: Yes

"That hotel was so dirty even the porn had flies"-Larry, at the bar after the Midway show I booked, a dozen or so years ago, commenting on the NJ hotel after the reformed Kilslug played on WFMU 

It must be noted this CD sold within 24 hours of vocalist Larry Lifeless's passing.  This made for an opportunity to finally put some dedicated time into listening to this album for the first time in like 28 years.  It wasn't on repeat the way the first Upsidedown Cross was a couple years before or Kilslug were in the 80's.  Well, no time like the present to think about Larry "Lifeless" Coyle's vocal styling and aesthetic.

Evilution deserves the time spent.  I've given this 3 headphone listens the last couple days to get the album in my brain.   What my mother used to call a "sick sense of humor" is what makes the lyrics of Larry Lifeless so attractive.  People are quick to call Upsidedown Cross a "doom" band.  Well, facepaint worn and plaster Mary statues smashed are indeed the backdrop but this is but a diving board to go into the deep end.    Witness the "Village Idiot"--he wears a frown and the townspeople won't give him a start.  He's still a human being for god's sake!

"Don't Think About It" is classic Larry.  He is your revolutionary Yogi.  You can't be a revolutionary if you read about history.  Not even Abe Lincoln!  The mantra on religious theory on the title track? "It's A Lie! It's A Lie! It's A Lie!!!"  The nursey rhyme "a-tisket, a tasket" concludes with "your head in a basket."

The wails of Larry that make Ozzy sound grounded in conservative vocal aesthetics are submerged in a crushing guitar awash in distortion, tremolo and feedback.  Then the occasional circus sound or percussion oddity from Bob Jordan (I think the Worcester one!) and Wharton Tiers (!!) rears it's head.  Far from generic. 

This album was Larry and Kilslug bass player Cheez who Larry unsentimentally told me was found several days decomposed in a halfway house sometime in the 10-20 years ago range.  Cheez used to call me in my teen years DJing at WICN from West Boylston to hear "Warlocks Witches and Demons" at 33 rpm and implore me to join him for beers, weed and coke after the show.  He would've got his dealer on the phone, but alas I was going for breakfast with dad at 7am.  The other 2 guys on the record are credited to S. Shoehorn on guitar and K. Blam on drums.  Rico is not on this one, Shoehorn was also on the last. K. Blam would not get a featuring sticker for the drummer on  the cover the way the last Upsidedown Cross record did. I wonder why?  The drumming is excellent!  

Don't think about anything at all....