Review: “Free from the Fridge” by Head In A Jar

Uncompromising speed, a triple vocal attack and a thematic focus on the bizarre? That would be Sydney Australian Crossover Thrash Metallers Head In A Jar. Drummer Marcus Alvarez is the only member of the band not leading his throat to the bands work with bassist Adrian Suljanovic and guitarist duo Nick Coady and Gordy Whyte all putting their vocal chords on the line. “Free from the Fridge” marks the bands fourth studio album and was recorded at Sydney’s Adversary Studios with producer Aaron Worboys (Bastardizer, Golgothan Remains, Graveir) before being Mastered by Brad Boatright (Downpresser, Leeched, Ithaca)  at Audioseige in Portland, Oregon. They have also been lucky enough to get Andrei Bouzikov, known for his work in the genre and in particular for Municipal Waste to do the cover at for it.

If you’re unfamiliar with Head In A Jar and haven’t worked it out by this point, they’re a goofy, hilariously funny pizza Thrash act with all the entertainment value of a low budget horror film that doesn’t take itself seriously. The opening act of this twelve part story  “Comptroller of Nightmares” gets things off to as flyer with headbangable riffs and storytelling vocals with bursts of gang chant done to perfection. “Androidz Anonymous” ups the tempo with the satanic panic that androids are after us before the Hardcore Punk bass heavy “Dess Und Hekk” bursts through with a Thrashed up Pennywise vibe before an eclectic solo that you won’t be expecting and is as schizophrenic as the lyrics. The bizarre and hilarious “Slave to the Microwave” takes on a subject that no one will have thought of and makes it their own with breakneck speed chord progressions that will leave you laughing at the lyrics when at at home and running head long for the pit when the band are on stage.

“Stretchin’ the Friendship” is a bitch fest about having to listen to a friend moaning about having a s*** job on minimum wage and somehow Head In A Jar manage to elevate the most standard of subject matters into something pit worthy as they do with the galloping title track “Free From The Fridge“. Slowing things down for the chorus will the the hammers thrown and crowds chanting when it goes to the stage, it has addictive quality throughout. Head In A Jar aren’t reinventing the wheel here, instead taking the best of the genre and making it their own in an instantly recognisable and rewarding fashion. “Biological Blitzkrieg” steps away from some of the more bizarre lyrical themes and turns the buzzsaw guitars back into straight to streaming cheap horror film mode in fine form before “In the Kingdom of the Forest Crones” takes us on a adventure of epic proportions while keeping things musically fast an loose. They whole album sounds like it could have been recorded live, with rough and ready feel that isn’t over produced capturing the band in their element.

Moving things into more of a Toxic Holocaust direction, “Big Punch at Little Lunch” brings the creepier riffs while depicting a school lunch hall punch up. A drop out to a bass drive into a solo is a really decent, while the vocalist change over in an interesting move. Taking on the subject of height restrictions on theme park rides for “You Must Be This Tall (To Die)” is another bizarrely hilarious tale, one of many where you’re left wondering exactly what you’ve just heard but in the best possible way before the play as fast as we can, hold on to your hats moment that is “Betty vs Yeti”. They may well play that one twice back to back live with the first just being a tease. Closing with the track they chose for a music video “Hell Beach” saves the best until last and throw in a false ending with a rapid fire solo to boot. Anyone who hasn’t suffered sand in their crack, seagulls stealing their chips and insane queues for ice cream hasn’t lived! [7/10]

Track listing

1. Comptroller of Nightmares
2. Androidz Anonymous
3. Dess Und Hekk
4. Slave to the Microwave
5. Stretchin’ the Friendship
6. Free from the Fridge
7. Biological Blitzkrieg
8. In the Kingdom of the Forest Crones
9. Big Punch at Little Lunch
10. You Must Be This Tall (To Die)
11. Betty vs Yeti
12. Hell Beach

“Free from the Fridge” by Head In A Jar is out now and available over at bandcamp