Death Church

Rudimentary Peni | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 16, 1995)
• Original Release Date: 1983
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Outer Himalayan
• ASIN: B000001V1V
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,037 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. 1/4 Dead

2. Blissful Myth

3. The Psycho Squat

4. Rotten To The Core

5. Poppycock

6. Cosmic Hearse

7. The Cloud Song

8. Vampirestate Building

9. Blasphemy Squad

10. When You Are A Martian Church

11. Pig In A Blanket

12. Inside

13. Nothing But A Nightmare

14. Flesh Crucifix

15. Slimy Member

16. Love Is Not

17. Radio Schizo

18. Happy Farm

19. Alice Crucifies The Paedophiles

20. Army Of Jesus

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The devil's in the details..., June 20, 2003

By 

Oliver Sheppard (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death Church (Audio CD)

Bizarre, weird, freaky, artsy, macabre, snotty punk rock.

Depending on my mood, this is my favorite Rudimentary Peni album. (It alternates with "Cacophony" and "The EPs of ...") For those just getting into Rudimentary Peni, however, it's arguably the best place to start. Deathy, bizarre, manic, political... it's all here. In fact, the appeal of this LP is that it straddles several different genres -- it's simultaneously avant garde art; the death rock crowd claim it in their canon of horror rock; and the Crass/political/crusty punks also cite it as one of the seminal 80's Britpunk albums. It deserves all this recognition, and more.

The lyrics to "Rotten to the Core" are as incisive as ever: "WHy is it that rock stars always seem to lie so much? / Joe Strummer once said he cared, but he never really gave a f--- / Said he'd use the money he made to set up a radio station to make the airwaves full of something other than sh-- / Have you noticed we're still waiting?" Ouch. (Hey, I like The Clash, by the way, but they've got a point!)

Nick Blinko's vocal are unlike those of any other punk band's. His book, _The Primal Screamer_ is a good companion piece to this album, as it tells the tale of the goings-on around the time this LP was recorded. For those not in the know, Mr. Blinko suffers from severe mental illness (paranoid schizophrenia, I think?) -- his spastic yammering for Rudimentary Peni seems evidence enough of this, until one sees the album artwork he designed for "Death Church," which eliminates any remaining doubts. While Peni aren't as fast as, say, Minor Threat, there is an element of sheer dementia here that no other hardcore or punk band could touch. "When You Are a Martian Church" is one of the better songs on the album, for example, and makes no apparent sense. "Vampire State Building" and "Cosmic Hearse" temper the more political moments with claustrophobic dementia, as well. Highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the greatest albums I own, December 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Death Church (Audio CD)

if you like Rudimentary or Crass, then you'll love this album. They're not as experimental as Crass, but I think they're just as incredible. The twisted black-and-white artwork is another reason to get this album.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Anarcho Punk Classic., September 29, 2004

By 

B-R-Mike M. (Old Lyme, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death Church (Audio CD)

In the eighties, the London scene saw an uprising of talented and insightful punk bands who followed an anarchaic song style and point of view. Bands like Crass, Conflict, Flux of Pink Indians and Icons of Filth helped define this new form of punk called anarcho. Rudimentary Peni's Death Church is one of the most accomplished and well done album in this genre. Darker than most other bands they had followed, RP wrote disturbing songs about death, war, famine, and chaos. Death Church is a chaotic mix of 21 excellent songs that follow a early Crass meets late Conflict style of punk rock.

The songs are extremely short and flow into each other very easily. With haunting basslines and vocalist Nick Blinko's disturbed, nihilistic and apocalyptic vocals make this into the most frightening album of the genre. With songs ranging from quick angry blasts of nihilistic punk rock to well composed masterpieces, this album influenced both Goth and punk band alike.

RP is definately a visionary band. With a image and attitude completely different and obscure compared to other bands, they help invent their own brand of gothic anracho punk. Definately a record for punk fans of all types and a real eye opener into how this planet really works. Buy It!