Genitorturers - 120 Days of Genitorture (1993)Release ID: 9077
I'm not really one to listen to a lot of music with themes of New South F***ing Wales and Black Depressive Suicidal Metal (think about the acronyms, not the words), but what's strange is, I quite like this one. I might be getting some Stockholm Syndrome vibes. Enough said! Let me just say, this album and review is not for the oversensitive.
Formed by singer Jennifer "Gen" Zimmerman, then-wife of Morbid Angel guitarist David Vincent, Genitorturers are infamous for their provocative imagery and live shows. Gen can be seen flexin' for some sexin' in the album's cover art. The lyrics are simple yet disturbing. Other bands/artists trying out this sexual theme in the early 90s were Divinyls with their 1990 single "I Touch Myself" and pop queen Madonna's Erotica album and SEX book released just less than a year before this twisted industrial metal offering...
This dark sinister vibe is spawned straight from the opening "120 Days". The name of that song and this album reference Marquis de Sade’s unfinished erotic novel 120 Days of Sodom. Already, the lyrical message has some deep power. Unleashing more of this intense passion is "Reality Check", with the lyrics taking on facing reality instead of illusions of false struggle. Next up, "Velvet Dreams" starts slow before speeding things up in erotic power. The crushing sexuality in the lyrics are sung as Gen's vocals penetrate your ears and give you great pleasure.
"House of Shame" is another one of my favorite tracks here. "Pleasure in Restraint" will definitely have you imagining Gen tying up her slaves. Another heavy track is "Lesser Gods", filled with heavy desire to please the album's listeners, especially from the 30-second opening intro that sounds like Slayer. "Jackin' Man" is a shorter track with almost a similar experimental vibe to Voivod at that time.
"River's Edge / Strip the Flesh" has more of the savage heaviness. "Force Fed" is big on the riffing, sounding the most metallic here. "Crack Track" is one more track that sounds close to a stylistic transition between Red Harvest's first and second albums.
Gen is someone who would rather f*** than give a f***, as her lyrics take on dark imagery of dominatrix fantasy. Sounds so wild yet addictive. It is an adventure in your mind in which only those who are brave and not oversensitive can prepare themselves for self-indulgence. I don't think I would ever attend one of their live shows though, for both moral and financial reasons. But the album itself is already theatrical!
Favorites: "120 Days", "Velvet Dreams", "House of Shame", "Lesser Gods", "Force Fed"
