The Wheel Of Fortune
Jason's Giant Apple
Blood Blanket Mood Setter
Blood Blanket
Planet Ettrick
A Night Out With Uncle Fred
Cum Operator

Uncle Fred created Condoms Protect Real Love in the summer of 2004. This is the third release under this name that Fred has released onto the world. Uncle Fred is not a nice uncle. No trips to the boating lake or presents from this guy without a fee being paid. Uncle Fred is the sleazy grubby family member that no-one speaks about. His past is too torrid and sordid to retell. Don’t sit on his knee. His wandering hands problem might flare up again. Girl or boy. Makes no difference to Uncle Fred. All fresh smelling meat in the end. Maybe everyone is wrong about Uncle Fred. Maybe he is kind of heart and clean of mind. Only he knows and he’s not for telling.

"Stage 03" revels in a debasement of sex and corruption. The inner booklet screams PERVERT at you in huge letters. Anti-religious and pro-Nazi (or is that pro-religious and anti-Nazi…the distinction is blurred at best) with a healthy dose of sex is the basis of the pictures and text.

The music comes then as a bit of a shock. Featuring 7 tracks on a 54 minute CDR of Industrial rock circa early Ministry crossed with The Swans through to power electronics and black ambience Uncle Fred covers all the bases. Vocals are at best distorted going onto unintelligible. When he lets his hair down…assuming he has any…and rocks he happily rips it up in a way that readers of Kerrang / Metal Hammer / Terroriser would wet themselves to. When he moves away into the more darker side with the noise and ambience it comes as a complete bolt out of the blue. Giving people like Fire in the Head a run for their money his pieces are suitably dark and disturbing soundscapes. Uncle Fred also likes to incorporate lots of different samples into his music which helps proceedings along nicely.

The problem…albeit a minor one…is does Uncle Fred really know who he is? Is he a rocker? Or is he a dark / power noise instigator? The two facets of Uncle Fred sit uneasily next to and bleed into each other. This confusing mixture leaves more questions than answers. Just as we question whether Uncle Fred is a pathetic sicko or a truly nice sweet guy. "Stage 03" leaves the perceptions and answers up to you to decide. Hopefully "Stage 04" will reveal more in the Condoms Protect Real Love evolution and open the mind of Uncle Fred for even closer scrutiny.

ANM