Marijuana

This should have just been a live EP, as the three live recordings on this release capture their wild performances well, particularly from Juan Brujo who sounds even more raspy, demonic and pissed off without the restraints of a controlled studio setting. Whether untethered or not, Brujo's vocals are every bit as frightening as their occult name suggests. The live recording of "Pito Wilson" also contains the spoken word section from Jello Biafra pretending to be the politician that the song is bashing, tongue firmly implanted into cheek, with the added excitement of hearing the crowd getting riled up in anticipation of a chanty tune that is a fan favorite, and deservedly so. Aside from that, also included on this EP is a throwaway recording of one of the catchier and groovier songs "Matando Gueros," named after the album it was recorded on, which is arguably their best album. And of course, the title track, an extremely silly parody of the global 1993 smash hit "Macarena," but it's about marijuana. They might as well have come up with a silly dance for it too. It's quite charming if you're 15 and just getting into more extreme bands like I was when I first heard this track, or if you're so stoned that you have to hold onto the grass to keep from falling off of the planet. It reminds me of the overdubbed drunken parodies on Anal Cunt's "Howard Is Bald EP," except those tracks were actually hilarious.

Having had a far warmer reception in the 90's and early 2000's, their music hasn't aged well and they are always on thin ice from going down in history as a self-imposed meme. They really didn't need to pull as many gimmicks as they have, this included, because above all else, they are simply a really good grindcore band, and respected by both grindcore fans and star players in the scene, and would soon enjoy almost mainstream popularity with their groove-fest "Brujerizmo" that came out a few years later. Having released a more groove metal oriented album was a far more successful stunt, and unfortunately their last successful stunt. Although nowadays they aren't quite as shrouded in mystery as they used to be, they're still quite mysterious. But why exactly do they exist? Who the hell knows. Do they even know? Either way, you can skip this one. I would suggest any of their 90's EP's over this one. That is, provided you've already heard "Matando Gueros" and "Raza Odiada," which are both grind classics in my opinion. This, however, is just... I don't know what this is. What the fuck?