Angel Rot - Unlistenable Hymns of Indulgent Damnage - Compact Disc

Formed in 1991 by White Zombies original guitarist Tom 5 (so nicknamed, legend has it, because his playing was the equal of five guitarists), New Jerseys Angel Rot was one of the most overlooked players in New Yorks underground metal scene during the 1990s. With bassist Mike Davis and drummer Steven Kleiner in tow, Angel Rot recorded their debut, Unlistenable Hymns of Indulgent Damnage, in 1993. But the master tapes were reputedly lost and even after being recovered, the album only saw the light of day six years later when it was released by the Mans Ruin label. By then, the trios touring lineup included bassist Gyda Gash and drummer Scott Octane.

Track Listing
Erotic Catacomb
Narcissectional Punishment
Dirt Trip
Necrostrangle
Callous Caul of Gloom
Wallow
Feotal Machine
Life/Death Strobe
Clean Disease
Screwdrive

Angel Rots Unlistenable Hymns of Indulgent Damnage was one of the most unique-sounding and grammatically challenged stoner rock albums issued in 1999, even by the underground genres already unconventional standards. The fact that it had actually been recorded six earlier goes a long way towards explaining this, but uninformed listeners may also notice that the album bears more than a few similarities to another, very popular 90s band, White Zombie. This, in turn, is easily explained by Angel Rot's pedigree, seeing as the band's leader is none other than founding White Zombie guitarist, Tom Five. With that in mind, one can clearly understand why Hymns often sounds like a natural progression of the early Zombie sound, pre-commercial breakthrough via MTV. Not only are Fives cavernous, ogre-like vocals nearly identical to Rob Zombies, but his lyrics also often mirror those of his former running mate, thanks to their peculiar combination of esoteric subject matter and b-movie imagery (the latter obsession is also made explicit by the album's hilarious cloaked druid cover artwork). But except for occasionally stellar moments like the lurching riff of Erotic Catacomb, the mesmerizing drone of Dirt Trip and the furious Clean Disease (witness Fives tortured screams), the albums songwriting isnt all that impressive. Instead, its Five's guitar work which draws serious wows here, especially his incendiary solos for Necrostrangle and the excellent Screwdrive. Serious fans of doom metal will also particularly enjoy the lumbering sloth of instrumentals Life/Death Strobe and the spectacularly titled Callous Caul of Gloom, but casual listeners should start their stoner rock library elsewhere.