Opening for
Lords of Acid during their March 2011 tour dates is about as appropriate as it could get for
Angelspit's Destroyx and
ZooG. If ever an industrial act seemed inspired by another,
Angelspit owe their career to
Lords of Acid. Yes, there are hints of
Atari Teenage Riot in the angry anti-capitalist rants, 2000s-era
Skinny Puppy in the growl and glitch, and
Ministry in the guitar chug, but
Lords of Acid are the main touchstone.
Angelspit could almost be viewed as a tamer
Black Eyed Peas version of
Lords of Acid, if
the Lords themselves weren't so tongue in cheek.
Carbon Beauty isn't a good starting point for newcomers, being the second compilation of remixes from the group's 2009 effort,
Hideous and Perfect. As such, it's repetitive and only features three new songs. There's some fun and technical merit in
Angelspit's take on dance-oriented industrial electronica, but there's an undeniable sense of role-playing that takes away from the drama, and their anti-money/anti-glamour message takes a hit when the album artwork and music production values so clearly drip of money and excess. With overcalculation already so evident, the remixes simply further the gloss. New bandmembers Valerie Gentile and Chris Kling do provide added heft to the three original tracks, but
Carbon Beauty, for all its clatter and intended ferocity, lacks teeth and is overburdened with posturing. ~ Tim DiGravina