Steven from Brutal Resonance reviews Diesel Priest– Steven, Brutal Resonance
The ever-creative and never-stopping Angelspit returns with his brand new album “Diesel Priest“. Released at the tail end of 2021, “Diesel Priest” is a thirteen-track album harnessing Angelspit’s love for cyberpunk, industrial, electropunk, and so many other genres in between. While it’s an album that can be enjoyed for just pure entertainment, Zoog von Rock also makes it very clear that it should be an album that provokes thought. In his press release, Zoog stated that he wants the album “to remind you that life is about taking risks and learning for yourself.” Featuring guest vocals from Imogen (Miss Ballistic), Brian Graupner (Gasoline Invertebrate), Melody Lynn (Queen of the Static Opera), May May Graves and a ton of other talent, “Diesel Priest” is both an entertaining and thought-provoking album.
The album starts with ‘Edge of Ruin’, which is a stompy, mechanical song. Quick lyrics bordering the line of industrial hip-hop makes for an aggressive, attitude driven lyrical delivery. The wonky samples perfectly fit Angelspit’s constantly moving electronic mastery. The spoken word delivery on ‘Don’t Know Zero’ fits the science fiction and dystopian theme of both the song and the album. Dual vocals flow through the song; it’s Zoog and what sounds like an almost anime like voice. It’s a funky electro track that’s part dance and part Alice in Wonderland. ‘Come into the Creep is much like a companion piece to the previous track; funky dance beats and spoken word delivery with a slight rhythm to the vocals.
‘Stand in Line’ dives deep into industrial and cyberpunk. While a big beat lies underneath it all, it’s a slow crawl that allows each hit to seep into your skin. The robotic vocals found on the song hit nicely and the crunchy guitars further amplify the song. ‘What Ever Happened to Uncle Sam?’ is classic electropunk from Zoog Von Rock. Again, absolutely ballistic beats and crazed atmosphere – like a circus of synthesizers – dominates in the track. ‘Upside Down Devil’ brings things to a manageable level for most. Decadent and creepy beats flow through the song, as if you just fell into a sewer grate and are confronted a lunatic with a billion CRTVs spouting out static as they talk about conspiracy theories left and right.
‘Crazy Man’ begins with a short burst of epic cinematic synths, like something played at a climactic scene in a movie, makes way for another funky beat. Spoken word vocals processed to sound robotic serve wonderfully while deep beats and constantly moving electronic lines fill it. ‘Killed On Camera’ might be the most straightforward dark electro track found on the album. Dark synths flow in the background as a steady but light a bassline trickles throughout the song. I love the vocals on the song as well; while not exactly a chorus effect, it feels as if a hivemind is speaking to me, nonetheless. The title track is an industrial rock track through and through just not structured like a traditional one. Crunchy guitars return as the bassline powers through all the depth and debris. It’s chaos in a song.
‘Transition’ serves exactly as that; it’s a laid back and chill track in comparison to the rest. Zoog allows the soft synths to do a bit of an ambient / IDM takeover. Though, towards the end of the track, those same laid-back synths turn into devilish little critters as they get louder and louder. It catches me off guard every time. In the realm of ‘Killed on Camera’, ‘Hand of God’ isn’t an electropunk track that moves a million miles per hour. Rather, it plays with dark electro beats and bright synths. Vocals are stretched out rather than being rapid. It’s quite a different take on the album. ‘Prefab War’ utilizes guitar and driving industrial machinations to create a rigid militaristic song as the title should suggest. The final song on the album, ‘All Hail the Hustle’, is another brilliant track tackling the problem of the one-percent in the world through infectious dance beats. What I like about how Angelspit ends their album is that they don’t leave you off feeling good; he leaves you off pissed with the world and its inadequacies. It’s a way to keep the listener wanting to change the world.
After almost twenty-years in the business and countless albums, it’s no wonder Zoog Von Rock has a hold on things so much. His style is unique and he’s able to turn out excellent songs left and right. Again, it’s an album that can be appreciated just for it’s blistering electronic beats, but it can also be listened to for a deeper and further message. The thirteen tracks hardly overlap and there’s room for a little bit of experimentation here and there – as seen on the likes of ‘Transition’. It’s another Angelspit album in the books and it rocks. Seven-and-a-half out of ten!
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