Faith no More

Angel Dust

High Point of an Excellent Band

Review Score:

(10/10)
I started listening to Faith No More when i received their first album with their singer (Mike Patton). The real thing was a solid, funky, heavy, and overall great record. After digesting that album for a little while i decided to explore their later and less accesible work. After getting opinions and reading reviews, i concluded that most true Faith No More fans believe Angel Dust to be their finest work. I have come to Agree totally.
The beginning of the record starts out with the dark and twisted, yet irresistably catchy tune of "Land of Sunshine". While this album tends to differ much from "The Real Thing", one factor is present from the start of this album; Mike Patton's flexible and amazing voice is in it's prime condition, topping his efforts on their previous album. He goes from his nasal pitched tone associated with the hit "epic" to the powerful bellow of what could be mistaken for an opera singer's in a minute's worth of time.
After the opener "Land of Sunshine" Faith No More experiments even further with the grinding number "Caffeine". Musical variety is even more present in this album than before. Also, the keyboardist, Roddy Bottum is employed for even more affectiveness.
There is almost always one standout musician in every band, and that award would have to go to the drummer, Mike Bordin. He lays down intricate and complex drum rythyms as if it was as easy as writing your own name. Faith No More would have never been the same if they had a different, less talented drummer in replacement of Mike. I hear he's working with Ozzy osbourne in conjunction with some ex-members of Alice in Chains. God bless them all.
I'll lay down descriptions for all the tracks:
1. Land of Sunshine. Funky and dark, a great opener and personal favorite.
2. Caffeine. Grinding and harsh, yet so great at the same time.
3. Midlife crisis. Not truly a "rock" song but more of a rambling with Patton employing his unique style of rapping backed by a funky basslien and softer-than-normal insturmentals.
4. RV. Weird, little piano-based ditty about some middle-aged fogey living in a mobile home and complaining about his abusrd problems. Wonderfully catchy.
5. Smaller and Smaller. A harsh foreboding number bearing resemblence to "Caffeine".
6. Everything's Ruined. Darker funk than the other three funky tracks (Land of Sunshine, Be Agressive, and A Small Victory)
7. Malpractice. A disturbing song that is more akin to the heavier tracks "Caffeine" "Smaller and Smaller" and "Jizzlober".
8. Kindergarten. Song about a guy who can't graduate from kindergarten. Strange and heavy, but more melodic than the four heavy tracks mentioned above.
9. Be Agressive. Funkyfunkyfun. Has a cheerleader chorus that will stick in your head like a tumor.
10. A Small Victory. Upbeat number about heaven knows what.
11. Crack Hitler. Sounds like something that came from a spy thriller soundtrack. Actually has really nothing to do with one of the most hated men in history.
12. Jizzlobber. Chaotic and heavy.
and out of nowhere comes... 13. Midnight Cowboy. Would belong well in a western film. Random, but great closer.
I love this whole album. It's one my only albums that I loved at first listen and has stuck with me the whole time. I reccommend getting "The Real Thing" first and letting your musical mind digest it for awhile before getting this odd, little masterpiece.

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