At the time of its initial release in 1982, Foetus' sophomore record, Ache, showed no sign of slump whatsoever. In fact, J.G. Thirlwell had just begun to make his mark in the industrial music scene that was then only in its infancy.

Ache was a hailed as a breakthrough by the 2,000 people that were lucky enough to obtain a copy. But the Foetus was also still in its early stages of development and it was here that Thirlwell began to experiment with more complex musical structures. Some of Ache's material is so intricate that, though timed very precisely, it sounds somewhat clumsy.

Regardless, the record shows Thirlwell's trademark snarling and growling developing and beginning to take some control and Ache shows tons of improvement over its predecessor, Deaf. It's a pretty essential album especially if you're into the real piss- and- vinegar industrial stuff. Ache also provides proof that Thirlwell has always had a penchant for foaming at the mouth.

-Ryan Schreiber