Album review: Pontoon Boat Death Massacre, by Prilosec Overdose.
Since their debut at the Pierced Pelican (formerly the Sunset Of Life Over-55 Mobile Home Park Community Center) in Brownfield, Florida in early 1993, Prilosec Overdose has been churning out Artery Sludge Metal hits faster than lead singer Paul “Palsy” Tremolo’s liver breaks down simvastatin. Their (live) first album, Triple Bypass to Hell, was a critical and commercial success, despite little or no airplay and the band’s reputation has grown nearly as fast as their prostates ever since.
Their latest hit, My Ocardial Infarction, tells the story of the timely death (after a long illness) of drummer Rudy Oldman with all the trademark screams, howls and evidently intentional grunts that have defined their vocal style and kept the band on top for almost two decades. But it’s in the deep cuts that the PO’s shine like a stainless steel wheelchair.
Unique to their genre, the band has always included dance tracks, usually in a medium dirge tempo. The newest CD is no exception. Undo Your I-V is irresistible in its pure rage against the Medical-Industrial Complex with its defibrillator-like drumbeat battling against and eventually joining with the irregular bass line. Tremolo has never been better, as he screams “Rip out the hose, rip out the hose, rip out the hose, I can’t feel my toes”.
Another instant classic is the PO’s first foray into Rap Metal, a long and feverish rhyme titled I Can’t Get Up. Clearly influenced by Linkin Park, Eminem and Johnny Mathis, the track is a wild gurney ride through a veritable maze of emotions, seemingly unconnected thoughts and, in the last verse, an actual hospital, apparently. “I hate the nurse and I hate the doc. I’ll strangle you, with my diabetic sock.” Not something you want the grandchildren to listen to, by the way.
Overall, this may be Prilosec Overdose’s best CD to date. New drummer Dwayne Fluids picks up where Oldman left off, and at a mere 62 years old, injects even more energy into the performances of his veteran bandmates. With solos on Pillcrusher, Drowning in Aftershave and Machinegun Flatulence, he gets the chance to show us his chops and does not disappoint.
Lead guitarist B. P. Monitor, particularly on the blues-influenced A Nod Is As Good As a Wink To a Guy Who Can’t Get His Restraints Off, reaffirms his place in the Artery Sludge Metal pantheon of guitarists, perhaps on a pedestal shared only with Bedpan Nightmare strummer Flem and Damien Tia of UTI.
Pontoon Boat Death Massacre is a must have for any Prilosec Overdose fan, but also for any serious music listener. I’d tell you to turn it up, but that goes without saying for Overdose fans (hearing aids notwithstanding, of course).
Download it today. Every CD the band puts out could be its last. Fluids has reportedly been clinically dead three times since this CD was recorded, if only for a few minutes. Get this record while the band is still hot, and its members’ bodies still warm.