Angel Hair was a post-hardcore band from Boulder, Colorado who were active from 1992-1995. Members of the band were also in The VSS. During their years they released one 12", one 7", split 7"s with The Fisticuffs Bluff, Bare Minimum and Kerosene 454, a CD discography and more recently, a remastered 12" discography in 2023.
Angel Hair was one of the most prolific and also distinctly unique hardcore bands out of the 90s. Their heavy hitting tracks meld ear splitting, screeched vocals, discordant guitar riffs and some of the most chaotic yet syncopated drums I have ever heard. Their sound is so different from any other band I've heard it's almost hard to process on the first listen. Their songs aren't the kind where you can listen to once and notice everything, they take time and multiple listens to fully grasp what is going on in their chaotic jumble of noises. Upon a couple listens though, I guarantee you'll be hooked.
One of my favourite tracks they released is their cover of 80s gothic Bauhaus's "Stigmata Martyr". Angels Hair's cover of the song sounds so different from the original I couldn't tell it was a cover at first, but listening to their sped up, noisy, screamed version you can hear the song is perfectly executed, yet played in such a vastly different style. It remains one of my favourite covers of any genre.
Angel Hair's intense vocals stand out to me as really having their own sound. Not the shrill sounds of Portraits Of Past or Reversal Of Man, nor the lower crusty influenced of One Eyed God Prophecy but something in the middle of it all. The gut-wrenching vocals along with the incredibly fast, experimental guitar riffs make for a sound that is nearly indescribable without hearing it yourself. All I can say is I could listen to Angel Hair every day for a year and they wouldn't get old. There's always something new to notice that you somehow missed before.
Another notable thing about Angel Hair is their lyrics. Though not always decipherable while listening to their songs, I highly recommend reading their lyrics. Written like absurdist poetry, it always made me wonder how and why they came up with them. The lyrics to "New Rocket" always make me laugh.
Link to Angel Hair's blog:
http://angelhairexisted.blogspot.com/
Insect Mortality 12" write-up and vinyl rip discography (alternate mixes from both digital discographies)
Pregnant With The Senior Class (old discography)
Insect Immortality (new remastered/mixed discography, Spotify)
S/T 7" 1994 (Gravity)
Kerosene 454 / Angel Hair split 7" 1995 (Strict)
Pregnant With The Senior Class CD 1997 (Gravity)
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