Angel Rot - "Unlistenable Hymns Of Indulgent Damnage", 1999

There isn't much information about Angel Rot, except that it's the band that guitarist (and vocalist) Tom "Five" Guay formed after parting ways with White Zombie in the late 80s; after a couple of self-released 7-inches, the band recorded its debut album, "Unlistenable Hymns of Indulgent Damnage", in 1993, but apparently the master tapes were lost and they were recovered only much later. The record finally saw the light of day in 1999, thanks to the always on-point work of Frank Kozik's Man's Ruin Records.

If you ever listened to the 80s White Zombie material, you'll know that it was very different from how the band sounded later on in the 90s, when it got more popular with its blend of groove and industrial metal; back then, it was a way more chaotic ensemble, playing a hard-to-pin-down style, ranging from post-punk to noise-rock. It definitely wasn't a metal band, though; still, it managed to conjure up a ruckus regardless. Angel Rot seems to stem from those very same roots while implementing more metal elements and a less chaotic approach to the subject matter.

While some described the band as doom or stoner metal, though, it doesn't have much to do with these styles, if not for the oppressive feeling that some of the slower songs might infuse; maybe the somber artwork and the fact that the record was released by Man's Ruin tricked a few of the listeners into believing Angel Rot belonged to that scene. The skeletal, raw production; the psychotic lead guitar detours; and the bass that plays an active part in the songs definitely have more in common with the noise rock of The Jesus Lizard, Unsane, or the White Zombie records that Tom Five played on; the darker and more aggressive tracks, though, could even bring to mind the very early Buzzov*en material ("To A Frown" and the early 7-inches), or even Nirvana's heaviest "Bleach" songs, besides the mandatory early Melvins and Black Flag.

The record sounds as if it was tracked live in the studio as a three-piece, featuring a grimy guitar sound and very dry, punkish drums, with minimal overdubs. The feeling is akin to watching the band play at rehearsals, and while it might sound undercooked as a studio offering, it actually encapsulates the organic feeling of watching the band live in your living room, without any trickery or post-production embellishments. Tom Five's dissonant, ear-piercing "solos" and crooked riffs convey a feeling of desperation and mental illness, paired with rhythms that often move around slow, circular patterns, sometimes disrupted by sudden speed-ups; the album also features a few more up-tempo, punkish tunes and a couple of meandering, hallucinated instrumentals.

The guitarist also takes care of the vocals here, favoring a rather gruff bark that sits somewhere between Tom G. Warrior, Rob Zombie, and Henry Rollins; it can come off as a bit of an acquired taste, or even slightly generic, but it gets the job done. The lyrics are not included in the booklet (apparently, you had to send an e-mail to get them), but they seem to live in a similar universe to White Zombie's, dealing with twisted sex, death, torture, and other dark/horror topics.

It's a pity, though, that the album was released only 6 years after it was recorded; it would have been received better if it came out when it was supposed to, since its sound fits that timeframe perfectly, resulting in it being definitely outdated for 1999 standards instead. These days, it should be evaluated keeping this in mind and enjoyed as an obscure relic from that magic first half of the 90s. If you love those years and that unique blend of different influences from both the alternative/noise scene and the hardcore/metal one, you might find a new gem in this long-forgotten record. On the opposite, if you expect a full-on metal album, you might end up sorely disappointed and dismiss this as a bunch of unlistenable crap (or indulgent damnage).

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