Steroid Maximus
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Steroid Maximus is an instrumental side project of J.G. Thirlwell. Thirlwell is best known for his main band, Foetus. Steroid Maximus contains elements of jazz, big band, avant-garde, soundtrack and exotica styles.
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[edit] History
Following the recording of Foetus Interruptus' Thaw, J.G. Thirlwell felt that too many instrumental songs were making their way onto Foetus albums. Thirlwell's future work was split between two distinct entities: songs with lead vocals were released under the Foetus moniker, and instrumental works were released as Steroid Maximus. Steroid Maximus began as a side project for Thirlwell with an invitation to fellow industrial musician Raymond Watts and several others, including Away of Voivod, for collaboration on Gondawanaland. It should be noted, that while Thirlwell and Watts worked together, Steroid Maximus is the sole creative vision of Thirlwell.
The official debut of Steroid Maximus came in 1990 with the release of "Volgarity" on a compilation flexi disc. The following year saw the release of ¡Quilombo!, Steroid Maximus' first album written by Thirlwell with additional guests performances by Lucy Hamilton and Hahn Rowe. Raymond Watts only contributes performing/writing on the lead track of the same name "Quilimbo".
Steroid Maximus' second album, Gondwanaland, was released in 1992. In addition to further collaboration with Watts on 6 of the 14 tracks, Thirlwell wrote, recorded and produced the second effort with astonishing results. Gondwanaland also contained the "Volgarity" single and a cover of Raymond Scott's "Powerhouse"—a favorite soundtrack of many classic Looney Tunes shorts (which was originally released in 1990 by another Thirlwell project, Garage Monsters),
[edit] Recent
After a decade-long hiatus, Thirlwell revived his Steroid Maximus project in 2001 (without Watts). Ectopia, was recorded and released as the third album for Mike Patton's Ipecac label in 2002. Steroid Maximus made its live debut in Los Angeles in 2003 which was facilitated by a commission from UCLA. Thirlwell rearranged the music for an 18-piece orchestra, with string and brass section, with trumpeter Steven Bernstein, with whom he had worked with on the Foetus album GASH. Conducted by Thirlwell, the ensemble contained such luminaries as Nels Cline, DJ Bonebrake and Bruce Fowler. He has since performed with French and Austrian versions of this ensemble, and in 2005 extended the repertoire to add a set of Foetus material for the Donaufestival.
Thirlwell has continued and expanded his Steroid Maximus stylings in his scoring work for the cartoon The Venture Bros.
[edit] Discography
- ¡Quilombo! (1991)
- Gondwanaland (1992)
- Ectopia (2002)
