The Flesh Eaters – A Minute To Pray A Second To Die (Red Vinyl)

The Flesh Eaters' A Minute To Pray A Second To Die came out of the late Los Angeles punk scene in 1981, but it never sounded confined by punk's usual rules. Led by Chris D. (Chris Desjardins), a poet and critic as well as a singer, the album channels his beat-influenced, noirish writing through a band drawn from some of that scene's strongest players: John Doe and D.J. Bonebrake from X, Dave Alvin and Bill Bateman from The Blasters, plus Steve Berlin, later of Los Lobos.

What makes this record last is the way that lineup opens the music up. The songs hit with punk force, but Bonebrake's marimba and Berlin's saxophone give the album an eerie, rootsy colour that sets it apart from more straightforward hardcore of the period. That mix is especially vivid on the live-to-two-track "Satan's Stomp," while John Doe's "Cyrano De Berger's Back" adds another angle to the group's dark, tense momentum. The result is less a scene document than a full-blown pulp vision, tough, strange and intensely melodic.

This 2024 Jackpot Records edition brings a key Flesh Eaters album back into print on vinyl. For anyone curious about the wilder edge of early L.A. punk, or how Chris D.'s literary, horror-soaked imagination could mesh with an all-star roots-punk lineup, this is the record that makes the case.

Features

• Ruby Red Vinyl, Limited Edition
• Includes original inner sleeve design

Reviews

• it's rugged and artful at the same time - AllMusic.com