The Neanderthal Spongecake

The Side Effects of Napalm

The band's first album was The Side Effects of Napalm in 1998. The press surrounding the album's release included claims that the group was the biggest band in Czechoslovakia, and that, as a child, Soling led the resistance against Communism there. These claims were however untrue, as Soling was an American who was born in New York City and grew up in Scarsdale, New York.

The Side Effects of Napalm was released in the United States on Xemu Records. Keith Gordon reviewed the album for Alt Culture Guide, saying that it was "A surrealist rock & roll romp across a musical horizon that even Dali couldn't capture on canvas, The Side Effects of Napalm is a quirky funny, maddening, and slightly confusing collection of songs that do a fine job of showcasing Soling's unique talents".

The album's songs included "Boss God", a song that questioned God's upbringing. It also included a cover version of Quiet Riot's Metal Health, which featured guest singing from Quiet Riot's late lead-singer Kevin DuBrow. The song "Buffalo" was a collaboration with the Buffalo, New York group Scary Chicken, and later resurfaced as the theme song for the A&E Network's series Confessions of a Matchmaker.

Other appearances

Neanderthal Spongecake resurfaced on the compilation album, When Pigs Fly: Songs You Never Thought You'd Hear, which included Jackie Chan and Ani DiFranco doing a duet of Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable", Lesley Gore singing AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds", and Don Ho performing Peter Gabriel's "Shock The Monkey". Neanderthal Spongecake covered T-Rex's "Bang a Gong (Get It On)".