Angel Du$t: Cold 2 The Touch

What is hardcore? Well, in simplest terms, it's an offshoot of the punk rock scene marked by more intense energy, downtuned guitars, and of course, the breakdowns. But just that alone doesn't paint the full picture of a genre that is now nearly half a century old. It's spawned its fair share of subgenres of its own, from emo and post-hardcore to metalcore and crossover thrash; and even some "step-children" like slowcore and breakcore.

Over the past decade or so, however, a new crop of extremely talented bands has brought a more traditional hardcore sound into the 21st century. Knocked Loose just collaborated with Denzel Curry, The Armed have had New York Times features written about them and Turnstile (with whom Angel Du$t has shared members) won a Grammy! I could go on about the exciting new wave of hardcore bands, but for the sake of brevity I'll rein myself in.

Within this evolving landscape, ‘Cold 2 The Touch’ finds Angel Du$t refusing to be confined by genre expectations, delivering 26 minutes of energetic music that blends punk, hardcore, melody and rock influences into a unified rock & roll spirit. Formed in 2013 by Tripp as a freer, more spontaneous contrast to his work with Trapped Under Ice, the band has continually evolved through collaboration and shifting influences while maintaining its core goal of channeling raw, movement-driven energy.

On this album, Angel Du$t muses quite a bit about death, the afterlife and the human soul. Yet, for a band so concerned with dying, their music sounds as alive as ever. The energy throughout these 11 tracks is palpable, even on slower country-tinged tracks like 'Jesus Head', which takes an unexpected dive into a wall of feedback and reverb towards the end while a guitar solo worthy of any '80s glam metal band roars underneath.

A slew of guest musicians from bands such as Terror, The Hope Conspiracy, Gallows, Twitching Tongues, Restraining Order and Cold Cave keeps things feeling fresh and maintains a sense of experimentation and collaboration that truly captures the essence of hardcore and its various forms. The tracks ebb and flow from influence to influence, encapsulating the listening and performing histories of everyone who contributed to them.

There are plenty of surprises and hidden gems throughout the record that I'll leave for the listener to discover, but suffice it to say that Cold 2 The Touch showcases a veteran band composed of people who live and breathe music as a form of self-expression, and the end product is something truly dynamic and beautiful. The passion and soul put into these songs shines through in every note.

There are plenty of surprises and hidden gems throughout the record that I'll leave for the listener to discover, but suffice it to say that ‘Cold 2 The Touch’ showcases a veteran band composed of people who live and breathe music as a form of self-expression and the end product is something truly dynamic and beautiful. The passion and soul put into these songs shines through in every note.

So, really, what is hardcore? The question is as old as the genre itself, and may never have an exact answer. Purists will try and give you a definition based on some 7" record from 1983 that only 50 people have ever heard. Outsiders will tell you it all sounds the same. Perhaps hardcore is in the eye of the beholder, or perhaps it is an ever-shifting current of ideas and emotions being released in 2-minute bursts in garages, sheds, bars and stadiums all around the world. For me, hardcore is a community, a sense of belonging, a collective consciousness and a language unto itself.

But whatever your definition of hardcore may be, Angel Du$t is an integral part of both its history and its future, and they show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. And you can tell it's true hardcore because there's a song about beating people up; that's a requirement.