Dusted Angel - This Side Of The Dirt (Album Review)

Release Date: September 19th 2025. Record Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

This Side Of The Dirt - Tracklisting

1. Plastic People

2. Death Crushes Hope

3. Redman

4. This Side Of The Dirt

5. Kiss O Shame

6. Little Lizzy

7. The Thorn

8. Seeking The Dawn

Members

Elliot Young - Bass

Eric Fieber - Guitars

Clifford Dinsmore - Vocals

Steve Ilse - Drums

Eddie Gregor - Guitars

Review

This Side Of The Dust is the next chapter from Doom/Stoner Metallers DUSTED ANGEL who last released an album back in 2010 and I who thought they split up years ago. However, here we are with DUSTED ANGEL firing on all cylinders with their latest album. DUSTED ANGEL haven’t lost the verve, swagger and gritty eagerness that made their debut album such an exhilarating experience. 

If you’re new to DUSTED ANGEL’s world then look at the lineup the band contains as it features Clifford Dinsmore on vocals (Bl'ast!, Seized Up, Spaceboy), Ed Gregor on guitar (Hedgehog, No Use For A Name), Eric "Dog" Fieber on guitar (Mock, Creature, Fire Sermon) Steve Ilse on drums (Creature, Herbert, Automatic Animal) and Eliot Young (Lost in Line, Seance) on bass.

This record has a grittier and aggressive flavour with DUSTED ANGEL definitely inspired by the modern day underground HEAVY RAWK scene and for a band going since 2008, the hunger is still there which you can fully experience on the catchy as hell opening track of Plastic People. This track allows DUSTED ANGEL to perfect their Punk Rock heavily inspired take of Doom and Stoner Metal with a meaty NOISE ROCK attitude being played throughout. The bombastic and no fucks given vocals from Clifford Dinsmore allows him to bridge the gap between the Hardcore, Punk and Stoner Metal scenes with demented relish. 

The instrumental sounds are a cross between FU MANCHU, KYUSS, Monster Magnet, Bl’ast, Whores, The Melvins and Kowloon Walled City which makes up for a highly interesting style of music to fully develop on tracks such as Death Crushes Hope, Redman and This Side Of The Dirt.

ANGEL DUST have a bone-thumping melody to their overall sound that only fully sells their gritty and realistic sound to the highest level. With sneaky visits to areas of Psych Rock, Doom Metal and Desert Rock, this record never plays out the way you expect. The shamanic vocals from Clifford have a shamanic and out of control poet approach which reminds me of Desert Rock outlaw Sean Wheeler, especially the way he delivers intriguing stories through pulsating musical passages and intense melodies.

The rest of the band - Eric, Steve, Eddie and Elliot all play their epic part moving through the multiple styles of HEAVY RAWK being transmitted through your nearest speakers with a glorious sense of rebellion holding everything together.

DUSTED ANGEL have gone through a lot of physical and emotional battles over the years that perhaps shaping the whole creative outcome of This Side Of The Dirt. However, it’s a testament to the band’s talent and personal strength they’ve released an album full of action packed tracks that always offers an exciting style of music with a lot of heart and pissed off grooves showing you a damn good time.

The second half of the album never falters either with DUSTED ANGEL going even further delivering seedier and heavier BLAZING riffs with a distorted WEEDIAN PUNK ROCK flavour coming superbly through on tracks such as: Kiss O Shame, Little Lizzy and Seeking The Dawn. After listening to this album multiple times I started to notice themes of music I originally missed like a sweeping Proto-Metal attitude appearing which most definitely brings a classic Seventies Doomed Out aesthetic to the party. So expect a record that pulls no punches with its non-stop style of aggressive STONER METAL of the highest order.

With the power of HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS backing DUSTED ANGEL then you have the ingredients for a MONSTER SUCCESS on every level possible. Yeah, this record is something else and I have a feeling this could be the start of a career resurgence for DUSTED ANGEL. As it’s simply that good!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

This Side Of The Dirt is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds.

Links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Spotify

Santa Cruz Heavy Rockers DUSTED ANGEL share "Little Lizzy" video; new album out September 19th on Heavy Psych Sounds.

Santa Cruz, California's heavy rock and metal pruveyors DUSTED ANGEL (with Bl'ast frontman Clifford Dinsmore) unleash a new video off their upcoming album "This Side Of The Dirt", to be issued on September 19th through Heavy Psych Sounds.

Says frontman Clifford Dinsmore: “It seems like songs always start with a working title and sometimes it sticks. I guess maybe at some point this song was going to be about someone named Lizzy. Then my Doom instinct takes over, and things detour into darkness. I think it's kind of inspired by the heavy hand of oppression that sometimes suffocates us all. I sometimes feel so bad for kids growing up in this era of social media and ridiculous cancel culture shenanigans. The rate of teen suicide is piking as people feel obligated to try to fit in and tow the line under the weight of AI and technology that has left the human element in the dust. Sometimes it's all we can do to try to crawl out from under it and try to breathe."

Watch Dusted Angel perform "Little Lizzy" on below

️

Dusted Angel is a band that likes to keep it in the family. Made up of a group of close friends who have known each other since the early 80s — stemming from playing in various intertwined bands, engraved in the extended Santa Cruz scene — the band features Clifford Dinsmore on vocals (Bl'ast!, Seized Up, Spaceboy), Ed Gregor on guitar (Hedgehog, No Use For A Name), Eric "Dog" Fieber on guitar (Mock, Creature, Fire Sermon) Steve Ilse on drums (Creature, Herbert, Automatic Animal) and Eliot Young (Lost in Line, Seance) on bass.

Fifteen years after their debut LP "Earth-Sick Mind", the sleeping giant awakens to delight the masses with their crushing blend of stoner rock, doom, and desert riff worship, topped with Dunsmore’s commanding vocals. Whether slow-burning or full-throttle, their music is built for volume, leaving audiences battered, blissed-out, and begging for more. Don't miss their latest single Death Crushed Hope!

New album "This Side Of The Dirt" - Out September 19th on Heavy Psych Sounds

Dusted Angel’s journey is one of passion, perseverance, and reinvention. Frontman Clifford Dunsmore reflects on the band’s history, from its explosive beginnings to its triumphant resurgence. "It all started in 2008 when I heard Bill Torgerson (Bl’ast!), Eric Dog Feiber, Eliot Young, and Scott Stevens were jamming," says Dunsmore. "When mutual friend Kieth Meek told me they wanted me to join, I was intrigued. Hearing The Thorn and Seeking The Dawn for the first time blew my mind—I had to be part of it." After Dunsmore penned the song Dusted Angel, the band adopted the name as their own.

The early years were marked by relentless gigging, a 7” release, and their debut album, Earthsick Mind. But tragedy struck with the loss of Bill Torgerson. "Losing Bill was devastating—he was irreplaceable," Dunsmore admits. "The only hope was Steve Ilse, who reluctantly joined part-time." Challenges mounted when Scott Stevens faced nerve damage, slowing the band’s momentum. Still, they shared stages with Fu Manchu, High on Fire, and Melvins, keeping the fire alive.

Personal battles followed—Dunsmore survived two cancers, a bone marrow transplant, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, Dusted Angel endured, playing sparse shows as a four-piece before finding new life with guitarist Eddie Gregor. "When Eddie joined, everything clicked," says Dunsmore. "For the first time in years, we felt like a real band again."

Now, with a new album, a deal with Heavy Psych Sounds, and global ambitions, Dusted Angel is charging forward. "The momentum is unstoppable, and we’re ready for whatever comes next."

DUSTED ANGEL is

Elliot Young - Bass
Eric Fieber - Guitars
Clifford Dinsmore - Vocals
Steve Ilse - Drums
Eddie Gregor - Guitars

DUSTED ANGEL links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Spotify

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Youtube