This is the second full length album from Tantrum Of The Muse, presented here in its original retail format, for those who have not been able to get their hands on it. Some audio has been cleaned up, for your listening pleasure.

The album was TOTM's ode to the definitive rock record and with that album cover, which is darkly inspired by The Rolling Stone's "Goats Head Soup" It shows!

We attempted to have a "old vinyl record" type visual for the art. There are several "backmasking" spoofs as well, from the beginning track, which odes Electric Light Orchestra's Fire On High, which plays in reverse along with the forward music, Chiroptera Armada, which has sound effects throw into the song which are hidden messages, my intention was to spoof 70s, 80s and 90s rock and roll, using tactics that got a lot of bands in trouble from the religious right back then.

Coming off of "The Heart Is A Two Headed Sperm" I intended for our dark sense of humor to come shining through with this album concept, but i think the humor was overshadowed by some lyrical themes that were pretty serious and gave the album an overall sense of bitterness. Granted, the lyrics, silly or not, were honestly inspired and i sang my heart out. Send Them The Cow was a literal joke. We wrote the song, because we just wanted a fun old school metal song, and we thought we should end the record on a high note. Again, i think people thought it was serious, and mistook the song, stepping over all of its sarcasm.

Anyway, I have always hated the end product of this album, as far as mix, and even performances. I could complain but people seem to really love this one, and i am grateful for it, although I plan on remixing and remastering it in the future, sorta "George Lucasing" it, making it sound the way i originally intended it, but for now, the audio has been cleaned up a bit, and it is now available for DIRT CHEAP! Enjoy it

BTW, the front cover is real. We took several pictures of the pig head, but had this crazy idea to just light it on fire, and we were pleasantly surprised to see the photography, none of which was tampered with. What you see is what we saw the day we got the film back and opened the envelope. I am SO THANKFUL that the guys let me use it for the cover, because it took some serious compromise, and i think it is one of the best album covers in rock and roll history!!! Yep, i said it. Wouldn't you agree?

- Stephen

ALBUM REVIEWS...

Never have I been so excited listening to an album for the first time since Faith No Mores' Angel Dust. Tantrum of the Muse is just that kind of a band. One by one the tracks would go by and you'd hear with your eyes wide open. You sit and wait for some off-beat, syncopated, drum pattern underneath incredible bass lines and guitar noises. This is an album of pure rock. Just as Mike Patton would move from awesome melodies one measure then screech at the moon the next, Stephen shows many sides and paints pictures for you in only the way he can. "You'll smell like the ocean/ Using your backside to breath/ More dead than life itself/ You smell like the sea" This is not a hardcore album, or an emo-core, melodic, post punk whatever. This is a great rock CD that dips into chapters of the heavy and burden filled and still comes up for air at nights end.
- Buzzgrinder.com

This is absolutely amazing. Why haven't these guys gotten more attention? Musically TOTM sounds like what would happen if Rush and Helmet met at the Masters of Metal showdown and birthed a three-headed rock opera composer.
- www.lumberjack-online.com (lumberjack distribution)

This is probably my favorite heavy record of the year. Tantrum of the Muse have successfully blended ideas from different genres and combined them into a sound all their own. There's parts that are thrashy (ALA metal kings Believer), crazy (ALA Today is the Day), and just plain weird (ALA Mr. Bungle) but never does it sound just like the aforementioned bands. Tantrum knows how to control the chaos, and when to keep things pretty or ugly. A lot of bands in the hardcore/metal/whatever genre try to make things crazy but don't have the technical proficiency to pull it off. These guys know how to play and they easily blow those other bands out of the water. This album is essential for all those who like their heavy music slightly off the beaten path. Decapolis.com 2000 Part 1

When Tantrum of the Muse's first record came out a big deal was made about how they were innovative, blending Built to Spill type indie-rock with metal, but since this is a sophomore effort there is no need to dwell on that. With a heavy emphasis on the metal side of things, Tantrum of the Muse is definitely one of the most interesting bands I've heard playing metal influenced music. Whereas most heavy bands just seem to fall into a formula of repeat riff, repeat riff over and over again with screaming lyrics that just give you a headache, Tantrum sticks a big middle finger to convention in any sense. Modern Music 2000 continues into somewhat confrontational ground, sarcastically sticking the middle finger to the "Christian industry," and candy-coated religion. In between tracks there are often sound bytes that mention masturbation, religion, and one in particular a segway into a song where a pastor asks his congregation to turn their hymnals to song 302, called "Screw the Music Industry." The segways help make sense out of the songs, especially when the lyrics are almost impossible to make out. The word kill is used a number of times on the record, including a song where the word kill is connected to religion, and a quirky Modest Mouse sounding number asking a question about a serial killer. What is interesting to note is that with all its sarcasm and almost self-indulgent attempts at pissing people off, the record is more than just a novelty, proving Tantrum of the Muse to be a band that, like or not, won't be going away any time soon.
- Decapolis.com - 2000, part 2

Tantrum of the muse are freedom fighters. It takes a lot of conviction to play the kind of music the way these guys do. Never give in!!!!
- Steve Austin (Today Is The Day)