Cold 2 The Touch [CD], Angel Du$t, CD

There's no other band like Angel Du$t. In fact, the singular group is almostdefined by how far they stand apart from the pack. So if saying Angel Du$taren't like anyone else is a no-brainer, then what are they like? Are theycutting edge genre-destroyers or one of the last authentic guitar bandsstanding? Are they blunt force aggression incarnate or earnest experimen-talists? Are they the hardcore version of an indie band or is it the other wayaround? You might ask yourself these kinds of questions while taking inthe totality of Angel Dust's decade-plus journey-but the band's new album,COLD 2 THE TOUCH, suggests that maybe it's not so complicated afterall. Or as vocalist/mastermind Justice Tripp puts it: "Angel Du$t is rock &roll."COLD 2 THE TOUCH captures this simple fact better than ever before.The 26-minute blast of eclectic and hardhitting music makes it clear thatAngel Du$t can't be contained within the confines of narrow subgenres,and that a term as elemental as rock & roll might actually fit like a glove.This is the band's most overtly ferocious album in some time-a blender ofhard riffs and big hooks that are matched by Tripp's open-hearted existen-tialism.A constellation of collaborators makes COLD 2 THE TOUCH a captivatinglisten that's constantly surprising the listener: guitarist Jim Caroll makes hispresence especially felt on "Zero," a veritable Angel Du$t epic that clocksin at over three minutes of spiraling riffs and features vocals from WesEisold of American Nightmare and Cold Cave; "Downfall" has the growl ofRestraining Order's Patrick Cozens; "Man On Fire" taps UK punk legendFrank Carter; and "The Beat" includes guttural guest vitriol from TaylorYoung of Twitching Tongues, Deadbody, and more.The album's final one-two punch of "The Knife" and "The Beat" sum upexactly what makes Angel Du$t such a special band. This is a creativeendeavor where heart-on-sleeve musings about the finite nature of lifecan coexist with the unbridled thrill of violence-enducing riffs, where realhumanity can flourish and being true to yourself and your own spectrum ofthoughts, interests, and feelings takes primacy above all else. "This is whoI am," says Tripp. "and I speak for the band too: these are people who arealways going to be playing aggressive rock & roll. It's happening whetheryou like it or not. I'm me, and if you get in my way I'm gonna crush you."