Nottingham, UK's Fudge Tunnel formed in 1989, influenced by the early Chicago/Big Black/Albini scene, albeit being noticeably heavier in the guitar department. Their debut 7" "Sex Mammoth" on London's Pigboy/Vinyl Solution label bagged the band a coveted 'single of the week' slot in the NME. A second release, the 'Sweet Sound Of Excess' 12" , again on the same label, cemented their reputation as one of the UK's best up-n-coming new artists. Earache, seeking to broaden its roster from the predominantly grindcore bands of earlier years (Godflesh excepted), signed the local band to an albums deal, and encouraged them to work with noted producer Colin Richardson to make the debut for the label, "Hate Songs In E-Minor".
Controversy surrounded the albums release because of a Police raid on the Earache offices in 1991, where suspected 'obscene' album covers - most notably the real-life gore/splatter sleeves of Carcass - were removed for possible prosecution, which thankfully never materialized in the end. Bizarrely enough, the original Fudge Tunnel LP artwork of a cartoon stick-man decapitation (from Jon Minnery's survival guidebook "How to Kill") was removed also, just as it was about to go to print, forcing a last minute change of album art for the release. Sounding uncannily like a UK Nirvana- a comparison the band hated as they opted for a decidedly more Rock-y approach (due to their choice of including covers of Ted Nugent and Cream on the record ) the band effortlessly rose to pre-eminence in the UK alternative rock scene during 1991. A decision was made to turn down the Nirvana/Helmet USA support slot, being unable to quit their day jobs, but a full European tour with Sepultura was completed the next year. An EP "Teeth" acheived a Top 5 Indie Chart placing in the UK, and the follow up album, 1993's 'Creep Diets' received a release Stateside on Columbia/Earache as part of the labels license deal, and is notable as guitar man Alex Newports debut production effort- with the trademark loud, heavy guitars all present and correct.
Alex Newport relocated to the USA with his wife and formed the thrashy side project band Nailbomb with Max Cavalera, completing numerous releases for Roadrunner Records, which were highly successful and somewhat overshadowed Fudge Tunnel's meagre sales acheivements to date. 1994 saw the band convene in the Windings Studio in Cornwall UK for their last studio album "The Complicated Futility Of Ignorance", which was less well received than earlier albums. 1995's "In A Word" was a hurriedly compiled compilation of all the EP's and the band disbanded soon after, with Newport continuing in Nailbomb and persuing his career on the other side of the mixing desk, as a record producer, with notable successes like the first "System of a Down' demo.