Faith No More Angel Dust CD

Faith No More: Mike Patton (vocals); Jim Martin (guitar); Roddy Bottum (keyboards); Billy Gould (bass); Mike Bordin (drums).
Recorded at Coast Recorders and Brilliant Studios, San Francisco, California.
Warner Bros. figured that lightning could strike twice at a time when oodles of (most horribly bad) funk-metal acts were following in Faith No More's and Red Hot Chili Peppers' footsteps. In response, the former recorded and released the bizarro masterpiece Angel Dust. Mike Patton's work in Mr. Bungle proved just how strange and inspired he could get given the opportunity; now, in his more famous act, nothing was ignored. "Land of Sunshine" starts things off in a vein similar to The Real Thing, but Patton's vocal role-playing is smarter and more accomplished, with the lyrics trashing a smug bastard with pure inspired mockery. From there, Angel Dust mixes the meta-metal of earlier days with the expected puree of other influences, including a cinematic sense of atmosphere. The album ends with a cover of John Barry's "Midnight Cowboy," which suits the mood perfectly, but the stretched-out, tense moments on "Caffeine" and the soaring charge of "Everything's Ruined" make for other good examples. Even a Kronos Quartet sample crops up on the frazzled sprawl of "Malpractice." Other sampling and studio treatments come to the fore throughout, adding quirks like the distorted voices on "Smaller and Smaller." The band's sense of humor crops up frequently -- there's the hilarious portrayal of prepubescent angst on "Kindergarten," made all the more entertaining by the music's straightforward approach, or the beyond-stereotypical white trash cornpone narration of "RV," all while the music breezily swings along. Patton's voice is stronger and downright smooth at many points throughout, the musicians collectively still know their stuff, and the result is twisted entertainment at its finest. ~ Ned Raggett
Just as Faith No More acquired its long-sought-after mainstream success, the band decided that fame wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The group knew that the majority of its new fans would expect the follow-up to THE REAL THING to tread on similar sonic territory, and boy, did this new pop audience have another thing coming! Like many classic albums, upon first listen, 1992's ANGEL DUST is hard to digest in a single sitting. In fact, it almost sounds like artistic suicide--there are few obvious pop hooks, and the music is far more complicated than earlier material.
But after a few more spins, ANGEL DUST finds the right receptors in your brain, and simply pummels the listener. Vocalist Mike Patton truly came into his own on this release, oft-times singing from the standpoint of different characters (as heard on "R.V." and "Be Aggressive"). While several tracks defy description--the harsh "Jizzlobber," "Malpractice," for example--the FNM of old can be heard in its full glory on such tracks as "Caffeine," "Land of Sunshine," "Midlife Crisis," and "A Small Victory." ANGEL DUST remains Faith No More's greatest achievement, and one of the best rock releases of the '90s.Rolling Stone (9/3/92, p.65) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...a roiling, musically adventurious record...explodes with the sound of genres colliding...a listening experience that's thoroughly exhilarating, absolutely mood altering and completely addictive..."
Spin (6/92, p.67) - Highly Recommended - "...ANGEL DUST is the next logical step in the band's meteoric career...Dynamic, innovative, and multidimensional, FNM's 1992 release is easily the grimy unit's finest hour..."
Entertainment Weekly (7/10/92, p.59) - "...probably the most uncommercial follow-up to a hit record ever...a brave slap in the face of record sales...at least it's not boring..." - Rating: B
Q (1/93, p.70) - Included in Q's list of the 50 Best Albums Of 1992.
Q (7/92, p.91) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...This is tightly constructed noise on the grand scale that bellies its simple metal calling. It's loud, it's aggressive and, like any rock record worth its salt, it excites at the most instinctive level..."
Village Voice (3/2/93, p.5) - Ranked #26 in the Village Voice's list of the 40 Best Albums Of 1992.