Alien Sex Fiend, Altered States Of America

Collection of live tracks from the Fiends' 1992 U.S. tour. Instantly striking as one of the most brazenly "rock" endeavours the band's ever embarked upon. "Wild Women" and "Class of '69" are blisteringly fast riff-fests, and even the usually trippy "Now I'm Feeling Zombified" turns into a straight-forward guitar number. The occasional spaces between full-on raging aren't the ambient space grooves that ASF often utilize, but seem instead to be there to let Nik catch his breath and berate the crowd momentarily before kicking the noise back in. Only "Coma" showcases the Fiends' program and keyboard related talents as equally as their Stooge-y ambitions. Predominantly recommended for devoted fans who will get a kick out of hearing well-known elaborate compositions stripped down to the bones; the newcomer is likely to have a hell of a time trying to figure out what's going on, but then again that's how most introductions to the Fiends happen...

More reviews