This review is targeted at people who are already familiar with the 80's noise-rock scene. If you aren't, this is not the place to start. Go pick up No New York, Songs About F***ing, Sister, and The Greatest Gift. Then we can talk.

I know you're wondering about the name, so I'll get that out of the way first. Steve Albini (Big Black) and Rey Washam (Scratch Acid), who recently formed a band with David Sims (Scratch Acid, not Cerebus), had discovered a hentai manga (re: porno comic from Japan) called Rapeman, that featured, uh, a main charector that rapes women for his job. They were most interested by the fact that it seemed to be accepted in Japanese society, and not protested, as it would be here. They then decided that they should name their new band after the comic, which led to frequent protests outside their show (If you ignored my disclaimer at the beginning, this should tell you all you need to know about the kind of band we're dealing with here)

Anyways, the band sounds just like Steve Albini jamming with Scratch Acid. That's practically what it is, after all. Except for the Sonic Youth sounding Kim Gordon's Panties and the fake jack-off noises at the end of the record, there are no surprises. That would be fine if the end product was good. Unfortunately, it flat-out sucked.

The album gets off to a good start with Steak and Black Onions, with some neato riffs and funny lyrics (Why don't you stuff it man? You plant-eating p*ssy), but that is unfortunately followed up by three absolutely forgettable songs that sound exactly the same, diluting the impact of the first song. And I'm not exaggerating when I say they're forgettable. When you listen to them, there is nothing to distinguish them from each other. If it wasn't for the little track-number thingy in Winamp, I wouldn't be able to tell when one ended and the next began.

Next up is the obligatory pretty song that every Albini band has once in their career. Big Black has Bad Houses, Shellac has The Idea of North, and Rapeman has Kim Gordon's Panties. It does sound a fair amount like Sonic Youth, with its tunings and all, but remember, Sonic Youth started out stealing their tunings from Glenn Branca, so its all good. Also, Stevie comes in and screams over it in trademark fashion at the end, giving it enough individuality for me to like it.

Hated Chinee comes next. When Big Black did songs about race, they were intelligent and thought-provoking. On Hated Chinee, it just seems like Albini is going through the motions. It doesn't even offend me, its just kind of sad.

Marmoset starts off well, but after about a minute it degenerates into the standard Rapeman song. A ZZ Top cover later (surprisingly faithful to the original) we get Trouser Minnow, one of the only songs on this disc worth hearing all the way through. It builds up to its conclusion quite nicely, and has classic misanthropic Albini lyrics. However, at this point, you're tired of the same variations on a theme and your appreciation of the song is somewhat dulled, and you just want the album to be over.

After this album, Rapeman released a few singles and they went their separate ways. David Sims went on to the awesome Jesus Lizard, and Steve Albini went on to the awesome Shellac. I think Rey Washam went on to Ministry, but we can forgive him for that. Although Rapeman contained moments of the magic that each member worked in their previous and subsequent bands, all in all, they're better off as a footnote in the history of noise-rock.

Rapeman: Two Nuns and a Pack Mule
1) Steak and Black Onions
2) Monobrow
3) Up Beat
4) Coition Ignition Mission
5) Kim Gordon's Panties
6) Hated Chinee
7) Radar Love Lizard
8) Marmoset
9) Just Got Paid
10)Trouser Minnow

Recommended: No