Review of Anger As Art - Self Titled

Like a beacon of hope for fat, sweaty old moshers who eschew visions of plums for apocalyptic plight, Anger as Art’s debut, now re-recorded a year later with a full band rather than just Steven Gaines, will rip many an unsuspecting victim a new asshole. Make no mistake, this is the sole vision of consummate metal vet Steve Gaines, who has served time in LA thrash and speed institutions like Abbatoir and Bloodlust, the latter now reunited, and is also currently the bassist and vocalist for Pagan War Machine, so you know this will at least be a professional affair. What you might not expect, however, is a vitriolic, visceral sound that bleeds with the kind of passion one would sooner expect from a group of guys in their early 20s or late teens. Anger as Art follow the punk meets metal aesthetic that defined much of the 80s, but their debut isn’t so firmly grounded or limited by that tag as to give it little existence outside of an era or specific time frame. True, most songs are played at lightning speed ala S.O.D. with less mosh riffs, but there are softer, subtler touches such as the acoustic opening to “I Create Your God” that contribute to a greater sense of diversity. You’re not going to toss this aside after a few weeks if you’re into the kind of crossover S.O.D. or Nuclear Assault shat out. If you’re a fan of both Vio-Lence and S.O.D., you’ll probably even shit your own pants. That is, if you can get past Gaines’ charming vocals, which will either hook or screw you, but will undoubtedly get a reaction out of you either way, because it’s not something you’re likely to take the middle road on. As a bonus you get four well-recorded live tracks so you two or three assholes out there that own the original can’t call this a cheap re-release with additional musicians. Honestly, this is a really good debut, but it’s probably not going to make too many people’s year-end top ten lists, and that’s not just for lack of exposure. Something tells me there will be greater releases in the future from Anger as Art, but as it stands now, this is solid mosh material.

Release Details

Anger As Art

Self Titled

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