''The Unholy Handjob'' is the second studio album by DUH, released in 1995 by

Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 in San Francisco, California. It was used by Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single " California Über Alles". After realizing the potential for an independent label, t ...

Music

Because of the less than serious nature of the project, the music of ''The Unholy Handjob'' is based around simplified riffs and notably more

alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With r ...

-based than its predecessor, which was firmly rooted in noisy

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

and

sludge metal Sludge metal (also known as sludge or sludge doom) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated through combining elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. It is typically harsh and abrasive, often featuring shouted vocals, heavi ...

. The track "Pricks Are Heavy" is a live performance of the band opening for L7 at

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boul ...

. The track's title is a pun of ''

Bricks Are Heavy ''Bricks Are Heavy'' is the third studio album by American rock band L7, released on April 14, 1992, by Slash Records. The album peaked at number 160 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and number one on the Heatseekers Albums chart. As of June 2000, ''B ...

'' by L7, comprises a tongue-in-cheek and haphazardly performed medley of "

Heart-Shaped Box "Heart-Shaped Box" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It appears as the third track on the band's third and final studio album, ''In Utero'', released by DGC Records in September 1993. ...

" by

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

, " Basket Case" by

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...

and " Shitlist" by L7 in-between vocalist

Greg Werckman Greg Werckman (born in 1964) is a businessman and musician. He is the co-founder of Ipecac Recordings. Ipecac was launched in 1999 with Faith No More frontman Mike Patton. Patton and Werckman's friendship was cultured through a shared love of basket ...

aggressively taunting the crowd.

Reception

Ned Raggett, who had written a positive review of the band's debut, was critical of ''The Unholy Handjob''. He gave the album two-and-a-half out of five stars, saying "the vocalist (clearly not

Biafra Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated form ...

, that much is clear) aims for yelled pseudo-metal smoothness, if such a thing exists, and the riffs and songs are as rockingly clichéd as they get. If

Butt Trumpet Butt Trumpet is a Los Angeles-based punk band founded and maintained by Thom Bone. It is known for its crass lyrics and deliberately offensive style. The group features two bassists among its members. They became famous in 1994 when their Chry ...

, say, had done this kind of thing, nobody would have noticed much about it, and if it had been marketed as a direct parody, doubtless little would have cared."

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from ''The Unholy Handjob'' liner notes. ;DUH *

Chris Dodge Spazz was an American powerviolence band active between 1992 and 2000. The trio released numerous records within this time, many of which are now highly collectible due to their relative rarity. The band's releases often showcased their unusual ...

– drums, oboe, bass guitar, backing vocals *

Dustin Donaldson I Am Spoonbender is an Americans, American/Canadians, Canadian multimedia group formed in San Francisco in early 1997 by composer/multi-instrumentalist/producer Dustin Donaldson, with Brian Jackson and Cub (band), cub guitarist Robynn Iwata (a.k.a ...

(as Shitty Bicker) – percussion * Sean Kelly (as S.K.) – bass guitar *

Dean Menta Dean Menta (born July 23 1966) is an American music editor and composer living in Los Angeles, California. Biography In 1995, Dean Menta became involved in the band DUH and appeared on their second album ''The Unholy Handjob''. Menta went on t ...

– electric guitar, backing vocals, production *

(as Grig Cashmoney) – vocals ;Production and additional personnel *

Paul Barker Paul Gordon Barker (born February 8, 1959), also referred to as Hermes Pan, is the former bass guitarist, producer and engineer of the industrial metal band Ministry from 1986 to 2003. Prior to Ministry, Barker provided bass for the Seattle ...

– production * Harvey Bennett Stafford –

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game (box art), music album (album art), ...

illustrations An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, video ...

* George Horn – mastering * Candace Workman – photography * John Yates – photography

Release history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Unholy Handjob 1995 albums DUH (band) albums Alternative Tentacles albums