Alter Boys

A muffled but familiar voice greets us in the opening moments of the Alter Boys’ debut LP: "This is The Exotic Sounds of the Alter Boys. Eff you — from Johnny Knoxville.” After the final track has played, vocalist Jason Popson asks fellow Alter Boy and ex-Jackass Ryan Dunn, "Where are you gonna go when all this reality bullshit fucking ends? I mean, come on, dude, that shit’s gonna go out like disco.” Then Bam Margera calls. This is bleak, friends. The exuberant and intentionally silly Alter Boys, who try a little bit of everything on Exotic Sounds, end up near enough Popson’s stated goal of "a cross of Frank Zappa and P-Funk” with a bit of tuneless hardcore and a bit of almost-serious balladry thrown in for good measure. The Boys were born of collaboration between members of Mushroomhead and Dog Fashion Disco, bands that met while opening for W.A.S.P.; Ryan Dunn was added later, and is used primarily as comic relief in the various skits and interludes that round out the album. This, apparently, is where Dunn goes when all this reality bullshit fucking ends — he’s a mascot.