Listen: Angel Du$t’s A.D.(D.)

The sleeper surprise gem of 2012 was Funeral Beach by Norway’s Blood Command, a screaming post-punk hookfest for fans of Refused, At The Drive-In, and any form of infectious heavy music. My buds were pulling for BC big time, for the fear that Funeral Beach would elude pat categorization and traction with any definite crowd. Who could love them at first sight, we wondered, this well-appointed Kvelertak-via-Pretty Girls Make Graves with cutting-edge haircuts? Would they stick with the post-hardcore crowd? Would a spot on Warped Tour do the trick?

But heavy metal people have a history of grabbing hold of tweener bands and hoisting them skyward like a hockey trophy. It is we who worship Torche, mid-era Cave In, and Dredg, we who delivered grunge greats to radio-rock squares, we who pack the margins at big industrial gigs. And so here’s Angel Du$t (not Angel Dust), a heavy, catchy quintet (like Blood Command) that includes guys from Trapped Under Ice and Turnstile. If your vibe is “metal only” today, then sock this full stream away for your next drive out to Riverside to work on your brah’s skate ramp. Or the next time two girls from the mall hop in your car en route to the beach. Just crank it!

Angel Du$t’s A.D. came out Tuesday via React! Order here and here.