Big Dumb Face

Lore & Background

Big Dumb Face was formed in 1998 by brothers Wes and Scott Borland, with Wes Borland using it as a side project from his main band Limp Bizkit. The debut album, Duke Lion Fights the Terror!!, was released in 2001 through Flip/Interscope and Flawless Records, a vanity label formed by Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, who served as executive producer. Reviews were mixed: Allmusic dismissed it as 'a mediocre Ween rip-off,' while Entertainment Weekly wrote 'Dumb? Check. Big? Not likely.' However, Deseret News gave it three stars, calling it 'Borland, as Big Dumb Face, at his most spontaneous.' After the album, Wes Borland began developing a video game sequel that fell through, and the project was sporadically active until 2004.

Reader's Guide

Big Dumb Face is significant as a comedic metal project that deliberately shifts between genres, from grindcore and death metal to funk, country, disco, reggae, psychedelia, and pop. Its style has been described as 'death country' by Metal Hammer and 'joke metal' by New Noise magazine, with Bloody Good Horror noting its use of humor-inducing irony, such as pairing upbeat Jamaican steel drums with demon-summoning lyrics. The project's legacy lies in its eclectic, unpredictable approach, influenced by Ween and Mr. Bungle, and its role as a creative outlet for Wes Borland outside Limp Bizkit. Despite mixed critical reception, it has maintained a cult following, releasing a second album in 2017 after a 13-year hiatus and a Christmas album in 2021.

Did You Know?

• Big Dumb Face was formed by brothers Wes and Scott Borland in 1998 as a side project for Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit.
• The debut album Duke Lion Fights the Terror!! was executive produced by Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst.
• The second album, Where Is Duke Lion? He's Dead..., was released in 2017 after a 13-year hiatus and included one song written in 2001 and another written in 2003.
• Wes Borland cited Ween and Mr. Bungle as influences on Big Dumb Face's music.

Origins and the Duke Lion Debut (1998–2004)

Big Dumb Face came into existence in 1998 when brothers Wes and Scott Borland decided to channel their creative energy into a project outside the confines of Limp Bizkit, where Wes was the guitarist. The duo, joined by vocalist and sampler Kyle Weeks and drummer Greg Isabelle, built a sound that refused to sit in one lane, weaving together grindcore, funk, country, disco, reggae, psychedelia, and pop into a single comedic package. Their debut full-length, Duke Lion Fights the Terror!!, arrived in 2001 on Flip/Interscope and Flawless Records, the latter being a Geffen subsidiary founded by Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, who also took an executive-producer credit. Critical reception was sharply divided: Allmusic's Kieran McCarthy labeled it a mediocre Ween imitation, and Entertainment Weekly's Robert Cherry quipped that the "big" in the name was a stretch. On the other hand, Deseret News's Scott Iwasaki awarded three stars and praised Borland's spontaneity, while Bloody Good Horror acknowledged the album's scattershot concept. After the record's release, Wes began developing a video-game sequel to the album's narrative, a project that ultimately never materialized. The band remained sporadically active until 2004.

Thirteen Years of Silence and the 2017 Revival

Between 2004 and 2017, Big Dumb Face fell into a complete dormancy. During that stretch, Wes Borland kept himself busy with a string of other musical commitments: he fronted the project Black Light Burns, reunited with Limp Bizkit, and served as touring guitarist for the band Queen Kwong. The long silence finally broke in June 2017, when Borland posted a hint on Instagram suggesting the project would see the light of day once more. Fans did not have to wait long for proof: on October 13, a brand-new track titled "He Rides The Skies" dropped, serving as a taste of what was to come. Three weeks later, on October 31, the full-length Where Is Duke Lion? He's Dead... was released through Edison Sound, Borland's own independent label. The record is a patchwork of freshly written material alongside two older compositions, one dating to 2001 and another to 2003, bridging the gap between the two eras. In describing the album, Borland called it "the most metal record I've ever made," signaling a shift toward heavier territory while retaining the project's signature irreverence.

A Genre-Bending Comedy Machine

From its earliest recordings, Big Dumb Face has defined itself by tearing up the genre rulebook. Wes Borland credits Ween and Mr. Bungle as primary influences, and the result is a chaotic sonic tapestry that critics have struggled to pin down. Metal Hammer coined the phrase "death country," while New Noise magazine settled on "joke metal," noting that one moment the band is grinding through core and the next it is playing reggae, with the shifts "ripe with humor-inducing irony." NME catalogued the palette as spanning death metal, electronic noise, steel pan samples, and grindcore; Allmusic framed the range as stretching from Dr. Demento-style variety-show pop to Ween-flavored alternative country. The humor is baked into the structure: New Noise pointed to "The Blood Maiden," which pairs joyfully upbeat Jamaican steel drums with lyrics about summoning a demon. Blabbermouth dissected "Whipping the Hodeus" as a journey through grotesque southern country, a cinematic rural soundscape, disco funk, and grind/deathcore. Borland himself has called the music "really silly and idiotic and bizarre" and "nothing but stupid," fully embracing the absurdity. Deseret News's Scott Iwasaki summed up the experience as "riotous meanderings that tap into early grindcore grooves and Captain Beefheart psychedelia."

The Delayed Christmas Album and the Broader Catalog

In March 2018, just months after the 2017 revival, Borland announced he was in the studio working on a holiday-themed record. The plan was to release it on Black Friday 2018, a fittingly commercial date for a project that thrives on absurdist irony. However, the album—titled Christmas in the Cave of Dagoth—did not actually see the light of day until December 11, 2021, a delay of nearly three years. The project's personnel have remained essentially the Borland brothers throughout both active periods: Wes handles vocals, guitar, bass, drums, and programming, while Scott contributes keyboards, vocals, guitar, and bass. During the first era (1998–2004), the lineup was supplemented by vocalist and sampler Kyle Weeks and drummer Greg Isabelle, with touring bassist Chris Gibbs appearing in 2001. The full discography stands at three studio albums: Duke Lion Fights the Terror!! (2001), Where Is Duke Lion? He's Dead... (2017), and Christmas in the Cave of Dagoth (2021). Despite the small output, each release represents a distinct chapter in the Borland brothers' ongoing experiment in genre-hopping, comedy-driven metal.