The Californian avant-metal band Mr. Bungle went through a whole lot of phases in between forming in the mid ’80s and breaking up in the late ’90s. For a while, frontman Mike Patton’s success in his other band Faith No More led Mr. Bungle to become one of the weirdest, most experimental groups ever on a major label. But now that they’ve reunited, Mr. Bungle are reliving their very earliest days and kicking a whole lot of ass in the process.
Just before the pandemic hit, Mr. Bungle reunited to play a few shows, their first in 20 years. The original members Patton, Trevor Dunn, and Trey Spruance all took part, and they were joined by two thrash elder gods, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian and former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo. At one of those shows, someone threw his friend’s ashes onstage.
During those shows, Mr. Bungle played their original 1986 demo The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny in full every night. Next month, they’ll release a re-recorded version of that demo. We’ve already heard the new take on “Raping Your Mind.” Today, they’ve god a new video for the new version of their ripper “Eracist.”
“Eracist” is a hard-trudge riff attack with a sarcastic-overdrive Mike Patton vocal and some heavy guitar riffing. It starts out as a midtempo stomper, but it eventually turns into a rabid sprint. The video, from director Derrick Scocchera, combines horror-movie imagery with patriotic stock footage — exactly the sort of thing that an ’80s thrash band would do. Check it out below.
The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny Demo is out 10/30 on Patton’s label Ipecac Recordings.
