Album Reviews

On their fifth album COLD 2 THE TOUCH, Angel Du$t - led by frontman Justice Tripp - seem determined to finally are once again all over the place. Formed in 2013 as a more free-spirited counterpoint to Tripp’s other band Trapped Under Ice, Angel Du$t set out to blend hardcore intensity with bigger melodies and an anything goes mentality. More than a decade on, that mission statement hasn’t changed. Clocking in at just 26 minutes, COLD 2 THE TOUCH barrels by as the band injects more rock ’n roll into their hardcore framework, which might be attributed to newly added guitarist Jim Carroll (Suicide File, Hope Conspiracy, American Nightmare).

Things start off strong. Opener 'Pain Is A Must’ delivers hard-hitting riffs, pounding drums, melodic vocals, and a well-placed guest appearance by Terror’s Scott Vogel. It’s a promising introduction. But that momentum quickly falters when the title track arrives sounding like a Turnstile B-side, and I begin to lose confidence. Unfortunately, that feeling only intensifies as the album unfolds.

'Jesus Head’ is a mellow cut that never really goes anywhere, while both 'Zero’ and 'Downfall’ don't have a lot of meat on their bones, ultimately falling short of being memorable. 'DU$T’ is another miss as it starts off slightly reminiscent of America’s 'A Horse With No Name’ of all things, before unleashing a blast beat later in the song. Turns out that’s a combination that doesn’t work. By the time the hard-hitting 'The Beat’ kicks in, it’s too little, too late. There is no more pulse to be found and the album is already cold to the touch.

Cold 2 The Touch tracklist:

1. Pain Is A Must
2. Cold 2 The Touch
3. I'm The Outside
4. Jesus Head
5. Zero
6. Downfall
7. DU$T
8. Nothing I Can't Kill
9. Man On Fire
10. The Knife
11. The Beat