biography
[+]
by Eduardo Rivadavia
Despite their rough-hewn, incredibly heavy, feedback-drenched
sound, Nottingham's Fudge Tunnel quickly transcended the obvious heavy
metal tag to find widespread critical praise outside such limits. And
while this support never did translate into commercial success, it is
interesting to note that Fudge Tunnel's surprising crossover appeal,
along with their low-key image and absolute lack of pretense, marked
them as un-hailed British predecessors to the Seattle scene.
18-year-old Alex Newport (vocals/guitar)
founded Fudge Tunnel with Dave Riley (bass) and Adrian Parkin (drums)
after moving to Nottingham, England, in 1989. Seemingly coming out of
nowhere, the trio quickly drew support from the metal press for their
brutal intensity, then earned their indie cred when 1990's debut EP Sex
Mammoth was named Single of the Week by the respected New Musical
Express. A second EP entitled Sweet Sounds of Excess followed six months
later and landed them a support slot touring with industrial metal
pioneers Godflesh. This, in turn, led to a record deal with leading
independent Earache Records, which released the full-length Hate Songs
in E Minor in May 1991. With graphic artwork depicting a decapitated
body gracing its cover, the initial pressing was immediately seized by
authorities, resulting in much welcome publicity before it was replaced
by a less-offensive live concert shot. Another critical success, the
album only cemented the group's reputation as one of the U.K.'s most
uncompromising acts with its incredibly sludgy, bottom-heavy riffs, but
never cracked the charts despite ample media coverage.
A third EP called Teeth preceded their
second album, 1993's insistently noisy, but somewhat more disciplined
Creep Diets. But Newport was unhappy with the media's perception of the
band, which was now regularly lumped into the Seattle pile, and began
losing interest in Fudge Tunnel, putting almost as much time into his
side project Nailbomb (featuring Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera). In a
Word, a collection of B-sides and singles arrived in 1994, as did their
third album, The Complicated Futility of Ignorance (a ferocious
recording, and an obvious attempt to distance themselves in any way
possible from the day's narrow understanding of alternative rock). All
to no avail, however, and following a second Nailbomb album, Newport
(now living in Phoenix, AZ) turned his attention to production work and,
eventually started a new project Theory of Ruin, while his bandmates
gradually faded from sight. Though they never formally disbanded, Fudge
Tunnel hasn't been heard from since.
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Tracklist
| 1 |
Grey |
5:29
|
| 2 |
Tipper Gore |
3:06
|
| 3 |
Ten Percent |
3:51
|
| 4 |
Face Down |
5:54
|
| 5 |
Grit |
3:25
|
| 6 |
Don't Have Time For You |
2:58
|
| 7 |
Good Kicking |
4:53
|
| 8 |
Hot Salad |
1:10
|
| 9 |
Creep Diets |
6:58
|
| 10 |
Stuck |
4:35
|
| 11 |
Always |
3:29 |
