The Bloody Angle
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States | SELF
Music
Press
With a name that sounds like one of those death metal bands my colleague Brian Krasman loves so much, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the self-titled debut from Virginia four-piece the Bloody Angle. Imagine my surprise when I found myself totally engrossed in their Southern-fried brand of swamp rock. The album is loads of fun as Matt Singleton & Co. groove their way through 10 songs.I was totally hooked after the opening triumvirate of the title track, “Sarah (Don’t You Come Around)” and “The Devil’s Runnin’ Scared,” and though the Bloody Angle can’t maintain that pace, they hit the right notes on “Alligator,” “Jesus & the Dallas Cowboys,” “Long Black Rifle” and “The River.” These fellas have a bright future. - The Daily News
At a point in time when so many albums sound the same, the genuinely inspired warm sound of this self-titled album instantly stands out from the pack. This Virginia-based quartet plays cool direct Americana-driven rock/pop that should appeal to just about anyone who ever loved Neil Young. The band is comprised of Matt Singleton (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Jason "Swiss" Butler (guitars), Dustin Bugg (drums, backing vocals), and Brian Temples (bass). The band's sound is driven by cool steady rhythms and big fat dueling guitars...all centered around some really neat masculine lead vocals. There are some real bitchin' tunes here that should please just about anyone who digs inspired guitar rock. By keeping things simple and direct, these guys manage to come across sounding like a real band rather than a slice of processed goddamn cheese. Ten kickass cuts here including "The Bloody Angle," "The Devil's Runnin' Scared," "Long Black Rifle," and "The River." We'd be willing to bet that these guys deliver some smokin' stuff in concert... - babysue.com
The Bloody Angle have released their self-titled album of gritty, Southern fried swamp rock and Americana today.
This is an album that evokes the lonely open road, unknown destinations, roadside diners and bars, beer and whiskey chasers, loose women and looser men. A record that tells stories where moral compasses has gone haywire and hard times are likelier than good ones.
And for all those reasons and more we like it one heck of a lot. - The Mad Mackerel
Billing themselves as a Southern-fried swamp rock band, The Bloody Angle’s self-titled debut is a rollicking good time. If you like gritty, straight forward tales and dark, melodic tunes, then The Bloody Angle is right up your alley.
With vocals and a cadence reminiscent of Neil Young, Matt Singleton leads the charge on the title track, and the crunchy guitars, thunderous drums, foreboding harmonizing and tale of murder make “Sarah (Don’t Come Around)” one of the album’s killer numbers. Religious nuts are featured seriously and humorously on tracks like “The Devil’s Running Scared” and “Jesus and the Dallas Cowboys,” respectively, and the band proves on “Long Black Rifle” that you really can have a love affair with a gun.
Singleton gives his vocals enough chutzpah to keep you engaged, Jason Butler dazzles on the guitars, and the stories expertly range from the silly (“Alligator”) to the profound (“Ol’ Ben Haley”). Whether pulling from the past or the present, The Bloody Angle is a darkly beautiful ode to life in the South. - C-ville Magazine
Too many bands get tied up with the technical side of a recording process, any trace of natural musicianship can subsequently be lost to silky smooth and soul-less outside interference – Play it, tape it and wrap it, simple rules for honest recording, this exciting Charlottesville four-piece confirm the emphasis for some tight group spontaneity. The Bloody Angle write tales of historic measure that reference epic events in human sacrifice, the Alt-Country karma should be interpreted as raw and Rock infused Americana rather than anything remotely Country/Bluegrass, in fact the ten track release is an emotional mixture of dusty Rock and Roll riffs and foot-stomping Southern drawl overlaid with passionate lyrical content, all supremely enhanced by some traumatic American history. - Mojophenia
This project is so new that there is no press as of yet... but here are some things that have
been said about other recent projects:
"... high-octane rock 'n' roll with a hint of vintage punk and the smell of new leather."
-grapevineculture.com
"... guitar hooks you can feel and choruses you can belt out in the shower."
"... the kind of kick-ass rock music that made you pick up a guitar in the first place."
-2walls webzine
"... there is not one weak track on this record."
-Pipe Dream- Binghamton University
"... reminds me of what rock should sound like."
- rockreviews.net
"Oh so satisfying..."
C-Ville magazine
"A vivid streak of color against the stark blacktop of assembly line pop..."
-grapevineculture.com
"...like something the Who might have recorded."
-southofmainstream.com
"...the sound is here and now."
neo-zine.com
"...a radio station could fit these guys in between Kiss and Cheap Trick..."
-splendidezine - Matt Singleton
Discography
The Bloody Angle- 10/16/2012
Photos
Bio
The Bloody Angle plays southern-fried swamp rock, with a touch of americana and a hint of country. Gritty guitars, lap-steel, and finger-picking support vocal harmonies and traditional keyboard tones. The sound conjures the southern countryside, civil war battlefields and backroad watering holes. Influences include Drive By Truckers, Jack White and Neil Young.
The eponymous debut album will be available 10/16/12. The album was recorded entirely in the analog realm, at producer-songwriter Matt Singleton’s studio in the Central Virginia countryside. “We wanted to produce a record that was warm, immediate, and spontaneous.” quotes Singleton. “This album was a direct backlash against the modern style of making music... no edits, no grid, no auto-tune. We wrote and performed together in the room, and captured the songs as they came out, warts and all.”
The songs toggle between personal stories and character driven studies. The common thread is the southern landscape, where the stories live among the soldiers, drunks, bible-thumpers and other characters that Singleton either encounters, inhabits, or pulls from the pages of history.
The band is a group of battle-hardened music industry veterans. They are fathers, brothers, sons and husbands. They shoot, ride, drink, and play. They may be a little world-weary, but a good time can and will be had.
“We have all been doing this a long time.” says Singleton. “The chemistry is there. It’s been a long time coming, and we are pretty proud of this record”.
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