Angel Dust is a band I briefly encountered (Enlighten the Darkness, for the most part) during my early 2000s reentry into metal as I was casting about for any and all power metal. I never went much further into their discography but now I get a chance to check out their debut, Into the Dark Past, courtesy of this High Roller Records reissue.
It's no secret the band changed styles early on and listening to this album underscores how much of a shift they undertook. Into the Dark Past is a speed/thrash album through and through, bursting with speedy drumming, crisp riffs and screaming solos. The barking vocals and unadulterated speed on songs like "I'll Come Back" are pure Show No Mercy-era Slayer while the opening riff, in all its staccato glory, is Kill 'Em All Metallica all day long. It's these two albums that clearly influenced Angel Dust the most as they were starting out though I can also hear bands like OZ on the song "Gambler" where the singer sounds a bit like Ape de Martini (interestingly, the Angel Dust song is not a cover of OZ's "Gambler" from their Fire in the Brain album). There's nothing on Into the Dark Past you haven't already heard if you're at all familiar with early '80s thrash, but I still find it quite enjoyable with its mad speed, honest sound, and influences worn plainly on the band members' collective sleeves.
