Robert Christgau: Dean of American Rock Critics

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The Flesh Eaters

  • A Minute to Pray a Second to Die [Ruby, 1981] B+
  • Forever Came Today [Ruby, 1982] C+

Consumer Guide Reviews:

A Minute to Pray a Second to Die [Ruby, 1981]
Brainchild of sometime Slash editor Chris D. and featuring a saxophone and an X-rated rhythm section, this eschews the no-speed-limit egoism of El Lay punk convention for a more matoor view of the world, based on the idea that horror movies are worth taking seriously. Not bad for a laff. B+

Forever Came Today [Ruby, 1982]
I've always taken Chris D.'s horror-movie imagery as a joke that went with his singing, aptly described by one admirer as a "strangling werewolf commercial." Here it's no joke, but rather a wellspring of metaphor with which to evoke the horrors of modern love, so to speak. This reflects poorly on the moral and intellectual resources of young people today. It also sounds like a strangling werewolf commercial. C+