Angkor Wat’s 1989 debut album is the aural equivalent of an auto-da-fe. In retrospect, the record can be viewed as an antidote to the entire hair-metal scene (which explains why the weak and naive masses inevitably overlooked it).
The disc is intense and visceral — Danny Brinkman’s screams compete with guitar solos worthy of Eddie Van Halen, and the relentless rhythm section never lets up. Standout tracks like Seat of Power and Died Young meld the energy of hardcore punk with the complexity of metal, with exhilarating results. The record — which was obviously too ferocious for the pop-metal crowd — should have made instant converts of Metallica/Slayer fans.
I can think of two reasons why such was not the case. First, the band name seems more suited to a Peter Gabriel-inspired world music act than a hardcore metal band (the album title is also sort of unwieldy). Second, the first actual “song” of the record is somewhat pedestrian and uneventful, particularly given its placement in the wake of the brilliant introductory sample. These two factors may have doomed the record. Which is unfortunate. It’s a five-star masterpiece.
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Brett Abrahamsen is a lifelong connoisseur of the experimental and obscure. He is also a science fiction writer (and an amateur philosopher of sorts). He resides in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
