ANGEL DUST OF HUMAN BONDAGE
Century Media - 2002
By Rodrigo
Three successful albums in a row topped by 2000s Enlighten the Darkness had placed Angel Dust as one of the bands to watch out for and many, including me, were highly anticipating what the next offering would be. Of Human Bondage is that album and things have definitely changed. For starters, guitarist Bernd Aufermann left the band last year and in came Ritchie Wilkinson and this definitely had to have had a big impact on the songwriting. Of Human Bondage finds the band at a simpler, heavier, angrier and thrashier musical stage. This final result is one of mixed emotions. While this new musical direction is definitely aggressive, what made Angel Dust stand out from the rest was the use of melodies and keyboards that united with heavier parts made for an excellent combination. This time there is more emphasis on the aggression and maybe something was lost in the process.
Dont get me wrong. There are some excellent songs in Of Human Bondage. Album opener "The Human Bondage" is a pure rush of adrenaline with the pounding drums, thrashy guitars and still containing the keyboards. The greatest part of this song has to be right after the excellent guitar solo (3:08-3:25) where Dirk is singing "I HATE YOU!" with an excellent guitar riff driving the part. "Inhuman" is another great head banging tune with the vocal melodies of the chorus reminding me of previous albums. The same formula is applied with "Unreal Soul" another of the standout tracks. "Freedom Awaits" is the sort of song I wanted to hear more of. It starts off with a keyboard melody, the verse is calm and when you hear the chorus it all comes together beautifully. This is the sort of song that differentiated Angel Dust and this definitely is my favorite song of the album. "The Cultman" is a great power ballad that starts off slowly with acoustic guitars and great atmosphere and then halfway through the song the tempo picks up. I guess I have the biggest problem with the middle and heaviest songs of the album. While they arent bad at all, they have some really cool parts, I just dont think they succeed like the other songs I have mentioned. Finally, there is a cover of Seals "Killer" and it actually sounds really cool but I have no idea how it compares to the original.
Maybe its just that I liked Enlighten the Darkness so much that no matter what the next album was going to be I would have been slightly disappointed by it. Of Human Bondage is not a bad album, I dont get any negative feelings when I listen to it. Instead its more just disappointment and thinking that maybe it could have been better. Maybe this is the album that the band works out all the kinks of this new direction and the next album will contain the strongest elements. Still Of Human Bondage has great elements in it and overall its a solid yet underwhelming release.
Century Media Website
Angel Dust Official Website
Century Media - 2002
By Rodrigo
Three successful albums in a row topped by 2000s Enlighten the Darkness had placed Angel Dust as one of the bands to watch out for and many, including me, were highly anticipating what the next offering would be. Of Human Bondage is that album and things have definitely changed. For starters, guitarist Bernd Aufermann left the band last year and in came Ritchie Wilkinson and this definitely had to have had a big impact on the songwriting. Of Human Bondage finds the band at a simpler, heavier, angrier and thrashier musical stage. This final result is one of mixed emotions. While this new musical direction is definitely aggressive, what made Angel Dust stand out from the rest was the use of melodies and keyboards that united with heavier parts made for an excellent combination. This time there is more emphasis on the aggression and maybe something was lost in the process.
Dont get me wrong. There are some excellent songs in Of Human Bondage. Album opener "The Human Bondage" is a pure rush of adrenaline with the pounding drums, thrashy guitars and still containing the keyboards. The greatest part of this song has to be right after the excellent guitar solo (3:08-3:25) where Dirk is singing "I HATE YOU!" with an excellent guitar riff driving the part. "Inhuman" is another great head banging tune with the vocal melodies of the chorus reminding me of previous albums. The same formula is applied with "Unreal Soul" another of the standout tracks. "Freedom Awaits" is the sort of song I wanted to hear more of. It starts off with a keyboard melody, the verse is calm and when you hear the chorus it all comes together beautifully. This is the sort of song that differentiated Angel Dust and this definitely is my favorite song of the album. "The Cultman" is a great power ballad that starts off slowly with acoustic guitars and great atmosphere and then halfway through the song the tempo picks up. I guess I have the biggest problem with the middle and heaviest songs of the album. While they arent bad at all, they have some really cool parts, I just dont think they succeed like the other songs I have mentioned. Finally, there is a cover of Seals "Killer" and it actually sounds really cool but I have no idea how it compares to the original.
Maybe its just that I liked Enlighten the Darkness so much that no matter what the next album was going to be I would have been slightly disappointed by it. Of Human Bondage is not a bad album, I dont get any negative feelings when I listen to it. Instead its more just disappointment and thinking that maybe it could have been better. Maybe this is the album that the band works out all the kinks of this new direction and the next album will contain the strongest elements. Still Of Human Bondage has great elements in it and overall its a solid yet underwhelming release.
Century Media Website
Angel Dust Official Website
