Band:	Lawnmower Deth
Album:	Ooh Crikey! It's Lawnmower Deth!
Style:	Crossover thrash metal
Release date:	September 1990
Guest review by:	Cynic Metalhead

01. Spook Perv Happenings In The Snooker Hall
02. Betty Ford's Clinic
03. Weebles Wobble But They Don't Fall Down
04. Sheep Dip
05. Lancer With Your Zancer 6. Can I Cultivate Your Groinal Garden
06. Flying Killer Cobs From The Planet Bob
07. Did You Spill My Pint?
08. Seventh Church Of The Apocalyptic Lawnmower [Skank mix]
09. Rad Dude
10. Sumo Rabbit & His Inescapable Trap Of Doom
11. Maim Mower Maim
12. Cob Woman Of Deth Meets Mr Smelly Mop
13. Got No Legs? Don't Come Crawling To Me
14. Icky Ficky
15. Judgement Day (Assume The Position)
16. Ooh Crikey
17. Satan's Trampoline
18. Dodo Doe
19. Duck Off
20. F.A.T. (Fascist & Tubby)
21. Punk As Fuck
22. Sharp Fucka Blades Of Hades
23. March Of The Mods
24. Motorhead
25. Stress [Temple Tension mix]
26. Got No Legs? Don't Come Crawling To Me [bonus] [live]
27. Spook Perv Happenings In The Snooker Hall [bonus] [live]
28. Sumo Rabbit And His Inescapeable Trap Of Doom [bonus] [live]
29. Webbles Wobble [bonus] [live]
30. Dodo Doe [bonus] [live]
31. F.A.T. (Facist And Tubby) [bonus] [live]
32. Seventh Church Of The Apocalyptic Lawnmower [bonus] [live]

Thrash metal is a very interesting galaxy. It bursts with diverse sounds and subgenres, from classic thrash juggernauts like Slayer, Megadeth, Nuclear Assault, Testament, and Anthrax, to irreverent crossover kings like Stormtroopers Of Death, Municipal Waste, Toxic Holocaust, and Lawnmower Deth. When you encounter albums from SOD or Lawnmower, the great part about such albums is that they're over faster than pleasure rounds with my girlfriend.

Lawnmower Deth, the quintet from the UK equipped with impressive and intelligent pseudonyms like Mightymow Destructimow or Schizo Rotary Sprintmaster, mixes thrash, punk, and parody to make these ingredients taste delicious together. Their unique recipe of chaotic riffs, frenzied humor, and razor-sharp satire turns what could be a simple joke band into a deliciously addictive ride through the absurd side of metal. Five years before the release of this album, Stormtroopers Of Death had already laid the groundwork for humor-driven thrash with Speak English Or Die, injecting a dose of cynical, comical, and ironic commentary into metal’s bloodstream. They became the vanguard of a new metallic niche, proving that satire and aggression could share the same stage. Released in 1990, Lawnmower Deth's Ooh Crikey! It's Lawnmower Deth! conjures images of a deranged gardener high on thrash metal and anarchy listening to the orchestrated tornado of absolute crushing riffs, punk-infused vocals, and rhythms luring said gardener to rumble in a UFC-like moshpit.

From the first notes of "Spook Perv Happenings In The Snooker Hall," you're strapped into a sonic rollercoaster of very S.O.D.-compatible riffs; the velocity is high and a crude bass intermezzo bamboozles you with your life choices, leaving you with an existential crises. "Betty Ford’s Clinic" is a 71-second massacre of punk-fueled thrash. The killer track from the first half comes in the form of “Flying Killer Cobs From The Planet Bob”, which may be one of the exoplanets of the Milky Way galaxy; it has brutal riffs and aggressive shouting (“too much, too high, you smoke, you die!”) backing up jackassery vocals. Needless to say the track has even more to offer: the mid-section where the band sends greetings to Nuclear Assault’s Buttfuck.

When we meet “Cobwoman Of Deth”, it's a conglomeration of insane bass and a very subtle cool chorus over the riffs and high-intensive drumming that's a key takeaway from here. It goes well with the ridiculously fast-paced “Icky Ficky”, spouting absurd vocals and nonchalant guitars, giving a hysterical example of brandishing crossover thrash with punk. The production of Ooh Crikey! It's Lawnmower Deth! is as raw and as chaotic as a lawnmower left running in your neighbor’s flower bed. There’s nothing polished about it, but twenty-five tracks covering topics as diverse as groinal gardens, legless crawling, drugs, and getting drunk at the Betty Ford Clinic, Ooh Crikey! is an absurd romp through extreme metal. With over half of the tracks clocking in at under a minute, there’s not a lot of room for interpretation.

As I initially said, much like S.O.D.’s classic Speak English Or Die, Ooh Crikey! It's Lawnmower Deth! assaults listeners with sharp, short stabs of humor, wit, and cynicism. To quote Anthony Storr, “Originality implies being bold enough to go beyond accepted norms.” Lawnmower Deth took this one to heart and delivered a record no one else comes close to sounding like. So, grab a Downton Brown Ale and immerse in the enlightenment of Lawnmower Deth's Ooh Crikey! It's Lawnmower Deth!. Period.

Highlights: Whole album