Faith no More

Angel Dust

Utterly Indescribable

Review Score:

(10/10)
"Angel Dust" the follow up to Faith No More's breakthrough "The Real Thing" sees the band making a quantum leap beyond the updated prog and proto rap-metal of that album into a rarified realm all it's own.The band's sound was already astounding,leaping between genres with impunity following it's own twisted muse with very little concern about mainstream acceptance.That's certainly true of "Angel Dust" evident from the acid-fried carny ride of the opener,"Land Of Sunshine",and it's ironic self-help manifestos festooned with insane cackling."RV" is positively Tom Wiats-ian,with a slyly dark first-person narrative from a burnt-out trailer park refugee."Be Aggressive" is a jaw-dropper: an organ-fuled funk stomper that features an irresistable half-time cheer chorus,with real cheerleaders! And on bruising,transcendantly intense tracks like "Midlife Crisis","Smaller and Smaller",and Caffeine",the power and brutal grace of the unit shines brightly:despite it's sometimes sopophoric dependence on shock lyrics and lurid,pulpy horror show atmospherics,this is a tight,accomplished and formally wrought band,capable of stunningly sweeping soundscapes like "Kindergarten" and "A Small Victory"(which resembles some miraculous duet between Elton John and Public Enemy).This album is highly recommended for those who like thier music to be challenging and completely original.

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