Backseat Delightlah!

Background

The success of Star Sex and Two Berries on a Twig, combined with Abysmal Crucifix’s reputation as “the live act to beat” in the West Coast metal scene afforded the band a bigger recording budget and a more relaxed attitude than in previous albums. In Janury of 1998, they went into the studio to write and experiment with new sounds and styles. With classical pianist Jam Malone as the de facto arranger and McDürchstein’s twin songwriting and producing skills, the group agreed they could take Abysmal Crucifix’s heavy sounds into new territories with their third album.

The genre-bending of Two Berries… melded with wild instrumentation and radical studio trickery to create what many Crucificionados regard as the band’s masterpiece. Aural experiments such as “Radioactive Penis” and “Sax on the Beach” showed hints of what would come on their 2002 double-album Girth McDürchstein’s ‘The Hedge’, but it also revealed a rapid sonic and lyrical maturity for a band mostly known for childish lyrics and mildly terrifying live shows.

Girth McDürchstein intentionally divided Backseat Delightlah! in half, featuring the raucous heavy metal of old on side A while glutting side B with poignant ballads, tender lyrics, and a more melancholy sound than had ever been heard by Abysmal Crucifix before. Critics and fans regarded this division as an unhindered success; in the days when cassette tapes were still a viable commercial medium, and during the very brief resurgence in the popularity of vinyl LPs, fans of Abysmal-as-sleaze-metal could enjoy an uninterrupted stream of sexual excrement on side A, while fans of Abysmal-as-artists could enjoy the tragedy and deep emotions of side B.

Backseat Delightlah! also marked the peak of the band’s commercial success (to date). “Rolling in It” became a surprise hit in the summer of 1998, peaking at #98 on the Billboard Hot 100. A relevant song decrying the exponential increase of Nigerian banking fraud as the Internet grew in popularity, “Rolling in It” smashed commercial barriers by sending its powerful message to Americans of every age, race, creed, and color.

Kelleystein Recordings, the band’s label, followed the success of “Rolling in It” with a 7” club remix of “Bay-Ooh-Tay-Tay,” created by Kelleystein CFO and celebrated Miami spinner DJ Koko. Although the single failed to crack the mainstream charts, it remained popular in the underground club scene for several years.

Girth McDürchstein’s obsessive search for the exact right cover model to represent Backseat Delightlah!, a mythical “perfect woman” created as part of Abysmal Crucifix’s live performance-art shows, gave Girth more than he bargained for. At the famed Reaver Modeling Agency in Hollywood, Girth discovered cover model, photographer, and future wife Margo Atwater. It is her gorgeous face and exceptional body that graces every copy of Backseat Delightlah! in print. She began as Girth’s fantasy woman, but they quickly made his fantasy into a sexually charged reality.

Though the band grew increasingly uncomfortable with Ms. Atwater’s increasing influence over their leader, nobody in Abysmal Crucifix could argue with the success her inspiration afforded them. To date, Backseat Delightlah! remains Abysmal Crucifix’s top-selling album, with 7,283 copies total — and maintaining a steady average of 40 copies sold each year!