Crashdog

Item: Mud Angels
Author: Michael Klein

Mud Angels

(1994)

Reviewed by Michael Klein

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Label Grrr RecordsThe LighthouseJune 1994

hardcore hardcore punk punk thrash metal

At last what the Christian Punk/Metal world has been waiting for-a loud album that contains a song about fishing. I do not mean an allegorical song about Christians being "fishers of men," but a celebration of the sport of fishing. And that's not all. This latest release from Crashdog also features some great music and lyrics that convey a solid Christian message in a way that almost makes me want to get up and spontaneously throw myself into a mosh pit.

There are a couple of surprises on this album, the first being the mixing of the vocals. They are more distinguishable than most recordings in the genre-the "wall of sound" feel that tends to convey emotions more than specific ideas. With Spike Nard's vocals up-front you can hear and understand the lyrics without too much effort. While most of the songs feature Nard almost yelling the lyrics in classic punk style, there are some indications that he can sing in a more classic sense. This allows more flexibility in style than the average punk band.

Flexibility in style is the other big surprise on this album. The guitar work of Andrew Mandell shows the ability to handle multiple styles of songs. Some of the songs, for example "Question Stupidity," are just straight-ahead punk/thrash. Others sound more like Metallica or even AC/DC. The other musicians on this album, Greg Murphy on the drums and Brian Grover on the bass, do a good job of being the rhythm section.

Most of the songs concentrate on current social conditions, but on a personal level. A good example of this is shown in the song "Degeneration." "We wake up every morning/And things still seem the same/Resolutions made, the bills are paid/But the problems still remain/In the never-ending revelation/Of exactly who we are/Angels of mud/Talking of love/While carving out another scar."

Most of the songs don't stop with just pointing out the situation, but infuse a possibility of hope. Jesus is mentioned in only the first song specifically, but the implication is that He is the source of the hope runs through the whole album.

I would recommend this for anyone wanting a solid punk release that features lyrics with hope-especially if they like fishing.