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All the potential of Faith No More flows into "Angel Dust," giving life to a complex and also bewildering work.
The improvements are significant in terms of variety, expressiveness, and conciseness. In a certain sense, the band revisits itself; the result is a work that doesn't abandon the group's typical sounds but reworks them under a new light, that of creativity. Not a single track sounds stale, every listen is a rediscovery, and amazement accompanies these 14 tracks. Amazement due to the perfection of the compositions, Patton's multifaceted singing, and the even more effective revival of "Introduce Yourself"'s total rock, which, mixed with the freshness of the new songs, allows reaching peaks of beauty yet unseen.
"Angel Dust" is an album that has much to teach as it fuses metal vehemence with an almost intellectualistic attitude; it's an album ahead, very much ahead. The violence that becomes an intelligent and not instinctive tool; all this while Nirvana continued to talk punk rock (this is not a criticism but a comparison). Probably, the nu-metal movement, which has its roots here, hasn't yet fully embodied this concept, so all-encompassing. If previously, the past was revisited, from now on the future will be anticipated.
Just the first few seconds are enough to understand how much Faith No More has leaped ahead; the hardcore guitars that introduced us to "The Real Thing" are replaced by the tumultuous and subliminal advance of "Land Of Sunshine", a magnificent acid rap marred by sinister echoes. What leaves us in awe, however, is how the band knows how to present its ingenious ideas with the utmost simplicity; each track has different levels of interpretation. One can stop at the heavy, granite sound, or delve into the psychic meanders of this immense dramatic fresco. "Caffeine" is no exception; a virulent riff and imposing rhythm hide much more; the offbeat singing, the dark interludes, the murderous screams. We reach excellence; already after two songs, the enormous worth of Faith No More inevitably surfaces. A truly rare ability for a band to convert well-recognizable and also easily accessible sounds into something new and unique.
If "Rv" is an irreverent playhouse, "Midlife Crisis" and "Smaller and Smaller" provide simple evidence that with "Angel Dust," nu-metal is born and immediately reaches its peak; mournful melodies, epic refrains, enveloping atmospheres, and electronic effects. In particular, the latter stands out for its ferocity and icy screams at the desert-like finale. But it is more style than true anger. We witness an extreme synthesis of numerous genres.
"Everything's Ruined" is an exemplary hybrid of pop melody, emotional thrust, and a wall of distortions. "Malpractice" is even more grim metal; Patton doesn't shy away from screams, the rhythm becomes martial, chaos takes over.
The quality remains excellent throughout the album's duration; from this point of view, "Angel Dust" is a colossal album, truly long-lasting and full of valuable songs. It would be pedantic to thoroughly analyze each one. "Kindergarten" is another excellent rap-metal, this time embroidered on noise echoes and altered voices. "Be Aggressive" is an industrial dance appropriately adorned with amusing choirs, all framed by a funereal organ. The rhythm is irresistible, the fun and playful approach just as much. The suave guitars of "A Small Victory" are an exception in an album charged with tension like this; needless to say, it is another great track. "Angel Dust" is truly difficult; there are so many elements to analyze that it is difficult to truly explain how wonderful and rich the album is.
"Crack Hitler" starts as an Arabian ballad that gradually explodes; always and only aesthetic taste, perfect. "Jizzlobber" is the moment most charged with tension and emotion; a nervous rhythm introduces us to a demonic distorted canto, Patton's epilepsy. Suddenly, the tone and intensity change, in a sort of escape from hell that then has its unexpected finale in the grave notes of the organ and in the celestial choir. As in the previous album, the finale is left to the most dissonant tracks. In this case, the vacuous melody of "Midnight Cowboy" is the well-deserved rest after so much tension. Beware, though, it is always and only about aesthetics, there is nothing existential here. "Easy" let's say it doesn't really fit the album, though very pleasant.
So, how could one not praise an album like "Angel Dust"? Filled with all the crossover power of Faith No More and moreover, rich in novelties, experiments, unique, splendid songs.
In short, it is a work that probably reaches the pinnacle of the crossover movement and anticipates all the nu-metal bands, but does so with a quality that they couldn't even dream of.
An imposing fire-breathing machine with a noble soul.
Tracklist
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Other reviews
By Perez1
Mike Patton who has the habit of changing skin with every track!
Faith No More showed that it wasn’t just punk, glam, and metal, but you could do something different.
By Bleak
Angel Dust is a masterpiece of dramatic tension, a kind of hallucinatory comedy in which man is ruthlessly alone in the face of his destiny.
Only the group’s imagination and particularly Patton’s superb directing ability could create such an intricate and fascinating puzzle made of different mosaic pieces.
By FabbioAW
This album would go on to sell about three million copies, surpassing, outside the States, its predecessor 'The Real Thing.'
Angel Dust is one of the most important albums of its year, one of the most influential ever, and, in general, the peak of Faith No More’s career.
