REVIEW: Angel Du$t - COLD 2 THE TOUCH
- Jasmine Longhurst
- 17 minutes ago
- 2 min read
ANGEL DU$T are a true underground gem, having been releasing fantastic music for a decade and playing for even longer. With a roster of current and former members as long as the average football team, they’re a true hardcore punk project of DIY community love, and that exact idea pervades new record COLD 2 THE TOUCH - from new members joining, to old members still helping write, and a number of exquisite guest appearances, the list of contributors is seemingly never ending.
New to the fold are guitarist JIM CARROLL, of AMERICAN NIGHTMARE and THE HOPE CONSPIRACY, as well as drummer NICK LEWIS. Whilst there’s a notable edge to the band that has not necessarily felt quite this pronounced due to CARROLL's input, this does nothing to dampen the incessantly high spirits of their music, and in fact acts to hone their direction on tracks like Dust when the music swells. LEWIS simply finds himself running the pocket like nobody’s business, holding the band together and finding groove and making them that much more infectious, even as he produces high-octane drum lines that draw from both hardcore and pop punk.
As always, they run the gamut of sounds and genres - one moment able to compare to BAD BRAINS or GORILLA BISCUITS, and the next closer to ALICE IN CHAINS than anything else, before sharply veering into TURNSTILE territory, and plenty more. The entire LP feels like one great exploration of everything good and fun within rock n’ roll, never sitting still for more than a moment and embracing every twist that presents itself to them. Each song is a new listen and should be treated as such, yet the whole album manages to be entirely cohesive in a way it frankly should not be.
From the title track’s upbeat punk attitude and gang vocals, to the grungy start of Man On Fire, and the enormity of final track The Beat’s sledgehammer riffs, ANGEL DU$T prove themselves replete with talent even amongst the vast experience of contributors like FRANK CARTER, TAYLOR YOUNG, WEZ EISOLD and PATRICK COZENS. Track four Jesus Head starts out in a blissful haze of surf rock tone, where Downfall brings a stomping beat, even as Nothing I Can’t Kill approaches the listener like a post-hardcore version of what’s come before, and Zero swings for the tip-top of 90’s alt rock with a hardcore heart.
Every moment feels fresh and new, never once stopping to consider what to do other than to carry on forwards. The energy and enjoyment is palpable, and the dedication to the scene they’ve come through and grown with is joyous to witness, along with the ceaseless opportunities given to others within it to show themselves off. ANGEL DU$T are of course heroes within hardcore, but hopefully this album will break out a little bit to give them more recognition from the wider music community, as this band have been owed their flowers for some time and it would only be right to receive them for an album this brilliant.
Score: 9/10
COLD 2 THE TOUCH will be released on 13th February via Run For Cover Records
Words: Jasmine Longhurst
Photos: Angel Du$t
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