Near the top of the list of great things that can happen to a band is the instance when a band's name becomes a commonly used adjective. Anyone who's spent more than five minutes on an antiestablishmentally correct music website knows that "it's very Melvins" is criticspeak for "it's muddy and low-ended, like a rhino releasing gas with a danceable beat but more mainstream." To label something as very Melvins is to apply a tag of quick dismissal for records from bands like Totimoshi, a quick and easy out so that critics don't really have to examine the music for signs of sentience.

Turnabout being fair play, A Senile Animal is very Filth Pig-era Ministry (even down to the song-list font gimmick) and would be more so if the drums were less Keith Moon, but it's all family here, both bands having pissed off major labels and scored Jello Biafra guest shots to bolster their respective reps, not that Jello wouldn't show up in his Sunday best to the remotest opportunity to get just one Republican scumbag looking over their shoulder. Don't, though, misconstrue that and avoid this album for fear of overlong "Hot Lava" dirges with choked vocals; overall A Senile Animal is a tick more well-behaved than Filth Pig, but don't misconstrue that either - this is a lethal dose of mid-tempo doom rock that's as much a deconstructive gear in the public works as anything else you could think of, unless Dookie is the best you can come up with, not that anyone who actually takes the time to read this fucking awesome webzine still thinks Green Day is worth anything.

As a fan, it was nice getting this in the mail, particularly during a deluge of just-in-time-for-your-rocker's-Christmas-list bullshit that's included Cale Parks off on a solo trip for some reason from Aloha, Tall Hands being completely worthless, and a ton of other retarded-looking albums with nondescript minimalist covers in Ugly Red or Boring Blue. Now, Melvins I can crank up while driving by mall shoppers who think they're safe from the world, and that alone is worth something. As stated, you could just as well buy Filth Pig if you want this sort of weapon in your commuter-time arsenal, but having a backup available never hurt anything.