That’s just nasty, I thought to myself upon seeing the name Shitfucker. What does that even mean? Someone who fucks shit? Or maybe someone who fucks with shit, like a guy who shoves a particularly stiff turd up another person’s ass? The mystery may never be solved, but as long as this Detroit trio know they’re grossing people out, I’m not sure they care. Initially, I had low expectations for Shitfucker and their 2013 debut Suck Cocks in Hell, but to my surprise the album’s raw, punky, and sleazy take on extreme metal actually contained some good songs beneath all the grime. With the members also playing in Nuke, Acid Witch, and Perversion, it seems Shitfucker is intended as their outlet to revel in nastiness while writing snotty little songs that don’t quite fit with their other bands.1 After some splits with groups like Abigail and Bonehunter, the fukkers of shit are finally back with second album Sex with Dead Body. Trust me when I say that all the Purell in the world won’t help you now.
As before, the group pull their inspiration from the dirtiest facets of the old school, with a punky blackened style that pairs the hardcore attitude of G.I.S.M. with the primitive speed metal of Venom. After “Naked Came the Strangler” sets the stage with thrumming synths straight out of an 80s film score, first proper track “Stab the Head” shows a newfound viciousness with its battering blast beats and sharp, addictive riffs. Climaxing with screeching leads and carried along by the rancid and raspy screams of vocalist ‘Demonbitch,’ the song is a hot torrent of delicious filth poured straight down your throat. “Ricky’s Dead” immediately offers an enjoyable counterpoint, sounding like a creaky garage rock song with its slower pace, rocking riff, and screams of “Ricky’s dead!”
For a band whose name is so blunt and abrasive, the group’s material is quite a bit catchier and more varied than you’d expect. “Leather Lady Lover” sounds like the filthiest Midnight song imaginable, moving at a stomping pace before hitting its gruffly sung chorus and climaxing with a bridge where a man crooning like Danzig tells a story about taking a girl home after the show. “Sex with Dead Bodies” ups the tempo considerably, recalling cult blackened speed act Syphilitic Vaginas with its galloping and demented take on old school heavy metal. Later, “Skitzoid” offers a nice bit of variety in the album’s second half, serving as a short and battering cut with plenty of frantic shouts of the track title.
Sex is wholly enjoyable throughout and there are several other worthy cuts in the vein of those mentioned above. Yet at the same time, I can’t escape the feeling that the album’s first half feels sequenced better, with the second half feeling a bit like a dumping ground for all the tracks they had left over. Fortunately the wild energy never subsides and songs like penultimate track “Touch Me I’ll Scream” still feature hooks that cut good and deep. The production is likewise a perfect fit for the style, with a sharp guitar tone and a rickety rhythm section thrown together in a raw mix that somehow makes everything swarm together into a coherent whole.
Shitfucker aren’t for everybody and I still have trouble saying the band name without getting a foul taste in my mouth. Yet while they initially seem to be all about shock value, even a cursory listen reveals some surprisingly catchy music beneath the layers of dried piss and mystery fluids. What’s especially cool is how they maintain their nasty aesthetic while pulling from everything from black metal, speed metal, punk, and even hard rock. As such those looking for a nastier Midnight are sure to get what they came for, while fans of G.I.S.M. and Syphilitic Vaginas are likely to love how readily this material would fit on a playlist with those two acts. Sex with Dead Body may be gross, but you don’t have to tell anyone how much you enjoyed it.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hells Headbangers Records
Website: shitfucker.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: April 20th, 2020
