ALBUM REVIEW: The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo – Mr. Bungle

In the mid-1980’s, five high school students came together and decided to create something unheard of – death metal with ska influences. Their demos incorporated bongos, train whistles and kazoos and by the turn of the nineties they were a fully-fledged funk metal band. Three albums on Warner Bros Records followed before a disbandment in 2000 and MR. BUNGLE was consigned to the archives of the member’s careers. Twenty years on and the main nucleus of Mike Patton, Trey Spruance and Trevor Dunn have reunited to re-record their debut EP, The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny in a more straightforward thrash metal style, bringing genre legends Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo along for the ride on rhythm guitar and drums respectively. Officially the band’s first true studio album for two decades, it’s out now via Ipecac Recordings.

Those unfamiliar with MR. BUNGLE will likely, of the remaining original members, be most aware of singer Patton‘s exploits with FAITH NO MORE, where his incredible range and chameleonic singing abilities led the Californian heavyweights to worldwide acclaim. Whilst it will there come as little surprise that he is just as adept singing thrash metal, the sound of his aggressive tones on the crossover belter Anarchy Up Your Anus will no doubt throw fans who are more used to his melodic croonings a huge curveball. It’s a stunning performance for a man now thirty-five years into his career and a sign that he has still much to give. He also, helped out by the four guys behind him, produces one of the best mosh calls of 2020 so far during a Spanish cover of Speak English or Die!, originally made famous by Ian‘s side project STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH.

Speaking of Ian, his own imprint is lavishly spread over the album – there’s no mistaking that guitar tone that has become so beloved in ANTHRAX‘s output and gives the record an organic, street-wise bounce which has stood the test of time for years and Lombardo‘s mastery of a drumkit gives an extra bite, albeit one with cartoony, glow in the dark fangs.

The thing is, MR. BUNGLE were always walking the line between the sublime and the stupid and whilst all five members of the current incarnation turn in a professional, serious performance throughout, they haven’t taken away anything that made them the bizarre force they were. There’s the curveball of Hypocrites that references the Spanish classic La Cucuracha and tongue-in-cheek song titles like Eracist, Spreading the Thighs of Death and the nine-minute extravaganza Methemetics. Some may roll their eyes, but the truth is MR. BUNGLE were a band way ahead of their time and this genesis moment in music history is now available to be enjoyed by those who either didn’t have one of the original cassettes or sought out the full thing on Youtube in its aged, ropey glory.

Considering how diverse MR. BUNGLE have been across their career, it’s a risk to suggest this is the best album for new fans to introduce themselves with even if it’s technically their first ever release, but if someone is looking for a pacey record stuffed to the gills with riffs and blast beats, they would be hard-pressed to find another from such accomplished musicians. Whether this is the culmination of a short-lived reunion or the beginning of a new run for the band remains to be seen, but one thing is definitely clear – regardless of how their musical endeavours have turned out since, they were producing quality material right from the start.

Rating: 8/10

The Raging Wrath of The Easter Bunny Demo is out now via Ipecac Recordings. 

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