Reuniting after a six-year split, Victim’s Family showed few signs of flare-out with 2001′s Apocalicious, a rare re-formation record of legitimate quality. The band’s sound — an absurd grab bag of acid punk, funk metal, surf jazz, and hardcore math rock — survived the backstage dramas intact, and “Dog Jaw” and “I’m Being Followed Around by the CIA” were as good as anything in the band’s back-catalog, at the very least indicating a song-title excellence up there with 1991′s “Bloated Housewives” and “Anti-Satan Song for Mom.” LP climax “Fridge” was even better, tracking down the anthem excess of Cheap Trick with the hound of the Minutemen. – Dean Carlson
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