Black metal dudes in corpse paint and chain mail barely even scratch the clotted surface of this classic pain and purification album, which brings to mind a guitar-toting serial killer and a therapy session involving aluminum bats. (Instead of, you know, those Nerf things.) The wild card in this case is frontman Steve Austin, who doesn't scream so much as scowl id-centric statements like "I need some violence," "watch me destroy you," and "why hold back, kill yourself." None of which come off as campy; more like a cry for help, epitomized by the eerie "hold me mama, please hold me" horror film sample and "I'm losing my mind" confessional of "Mankind." As Austin would later reveal in the liner notes for this now-revered release, the singer/guitarist was contemplating suicide and living off shriveled, crusty 50-cent hot dogs at the time of its recording. Which is totally believable considering how borderline psychotic he sounds. A level of morbid curiosity comes with listening, sure, but that's only because Austin makes most extreme music singers sound like method actors.