UMUR "Freakery" is the debut full-length studio album by US, California based grindcore act Cretin. The album was released through Relapse Records in April 2006. Cretin was formed as far back as 1992 but disbanded again in 1996 without releasing anything, as a consequence of bassist Matt Widener joining the marines and lead vocalist/guitarist Dan Martinez pursuing a career in the video game industry. They reunited in 2001 though and the "Cretanic Grind Ambush (2004)" EP was their first official label release (they released the "Extreme Cretanic Grindcore" demo in 2003). The three-piece lineup of Dan Martinez (vocals, guitars), Matt Widener (bass), and Col Jones (drums), who recorded the "Cretanic Grind Ambush (2004)" EP, is intact on "Freakery".

Stylistically the material on "Freakery" also more or less continues the sick and depraved grindcore assault of "Cretanic Grind Ambush (2004)". It´s distorted, noisy, blasting, and aggressive, but still with enough memorable hooks (give it a couple of spins and they begin to appear) and brutal mid-paced grooves to be entertaining throughout the 16 tracks and 29:56 minutes long playing time. It´s not the most varied release and the very strong Repulsion influence, which the album reeks of, could be an issue for some too, but to my ears "Freakery" wins because of the execution of the material. Make no mistake...these guys can play and they deliver their music with great conviction and passion. And that is true for both the instrumental part of the music but certainly also for the vocal part of the material. Martinez has a raw distorted voice and a convincing caustic delivery, which suits the music perfectly.

The filthy, depraved, and bizarre lyrical universe is another asset and provides the album with the right dark and unpleasant atmosphere. Song titles like "Daddy's Little Girl", "Cockfight", and "A Fowl Fetish" may give a few hints to where we are lyrically, but the lyrics have to be read to be enjoyed in all their foul glory. The sound production is harsh, and unrelentingly raw and brutal, but still detailed enough, that the listener is able to hear what is going on. So upon conclusion "Freakery" is a high quality grindcore release. It is a bit one-dimensional and the tracks take some spins to tell apart, but aside from that (which isn´t unusual on a grindcore release anyway), it´s a highly recommendable and quite promising debut album by Cretin. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.