Review Summary: Secretly the best nineties Rush album
Among all the alleged ‘sellout’ records released by the biggest thrash entities in the early nineties, 1991’s Angel Rat may be one of the most fascinating. While it is undeniably more accessible than the wonky prog-thrash that Voivod’s previous outings had built up, it doesn’t hit the same sort of stadium rock aspirations as their peers. It instead plays out more like a heavy version of a long lost early eighties Rush record right down to featuring their producer Terry Brown on it.
With that premise, it’s quite neat see how the band applies those sensibilities while still retaining their core quirky attributes. Snake’s vocals might show the biggest change with their full embrace of clean singing but still feel in character due to retaining his nasally delivery. Piggy’s guitars also retain their unorthodox note choices while putting in broader dynamics while Away’s drums retain penchants for upbeat, busy patterns. Even with Blacky having left by the album’s release, his bass still provides a strong presence with a ton of Geddy Lee nods and spotlights.
The songwriting also strikes an interesting balance of eccentric accessibility, opting for pretty straightforward structures overall that are colored by off-the-wall aesthetics. Coming off the “Shortwave Intro,” “Panorama” sets up a breezy sort of pacing that gets additional traction on tracks like “Best Regards,” Twin Dummy,” and “The Outcast.” “Clouds In My House” also stands out for a catchy mid-tempo riff set that lends itself to a contemplative bass break straight from Permanent Waves while the title track injects some mellow flavor and “Golem” is driven by an earworm bass line, infectious vocals, and a couple weird asides.
I’ve posited before that if Cliff Burton had survived into the nineties, Metallica’s commercial turn could’ve sounded a whole lot more like Angel Rat. That’s probably some exaggeration on my part but it is commendable how this album navigates an interesting mix of influences. While listeners at the time might’ve forsaken the album’s move away from thrash, the alternative influences play nicely with the band’s prog tendencies and the catchy songwriting feels true to their exploratory attitude. It hits the same part of my brain as something like King’s X or Galactic Cowboys, contemporary of its era yet very idiosyncratic.
