Foetus – “Hide” – [Ectopic Ents]

What a crazy ride. This fall 2010 release from Foetus, “Hide,” is a concept album “informed by the culture of fear.” It feels like an insane rock opera, with its opening operatic vocals from a real opera singer (Abby Fischer), crazy industrial Tom Waits-ian carny croons on “You’re Trying to Break Me,” and weird left-turn into a spaghetti western on “The Ballad of Sisyphus T. Jones.” It’s a demented soundtrack-feeling opus, with high drama, prog rock influences, classical moments, creepy violin, videogame sounds, and a heavy dose of psychedelics (especially in the relatively calm closer “O Putrid Sun”).