So after the “Hazbin Hotel” pilot came out and exploded in popularity, it would naturally end up spawning fan works of all kinds, and fan-made songs are no exception to that. Normally, I wouldn’t be analyzing a fan song, but considering that “Addict” got the special treatment of getting full animation by Vivziepop and her crew, I’m willing to make an exception in this case. That doesn’t guarantee that everything here will end up as canon in the official series once it comes out, of course, but what it tells us about Angel Dust and Cherri Bomb’s characters is quite intriguing on its own merits. Plus, Vivziepop doing the animation does lend credence to the idea that info here could provide more groundwork for what’s to come for both characters, as well as said info also popping up in one of the prequel comics.
On top of that…come on, how can I not talk about the most viewed video on Viv's channel? I just had to.
Anywho, the song “Addict”, as mentioned earlier, was created by a “Hazbin” fan, the YouTube musician known as Silva Hound. The song itself is an absolute banger, and even if you remove the visuals from it, it’s guaranteed to get your head banging. I’m usually not one for club music, but hot damn, this really made it work. The heavy bass is still there to help make it catchy as hell, but it’s not so overwhelming that it drowns out the rest of the music.
The lyrics mostly tell of Angel Dust’s mindset now that he’s died due to an overdose. Now that he’s trapped in Hell, he’s attempting to use this afterlife of his for a brand new start; he doesn’t give a damn about what other people think of him and is proud of who he is. He flaunts his stuff on stage, he knows he’s hot, and he feels free to just let his inner demons run wild. On the offset, one would think that he’s a brash and confident, if not altogether friendly, person that’s taking the chance to let his vices go free.
But the animation added to this as well as the epilogue exclusive to this video paint a very different picture. His jerkish attitude is more of a front he puts on, a cover for a person that’s suffering much more than he lets on. One background detail from the “Hazbin” pilot that’s very blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shows that Angel has an abusive relationship with his boss Valentino at the porn studio, and this music video carries that over and cranks that aspect up. Angel Dust is a victim of sexual abuse and assault by his boss, a situation he feels trapped in due to his line of work, and it’s leaving him a broken and traumatized mess inside. He has a drug addiction and takes part in gang wars as a way to distract him from it all, but once that buzz goes away, he’s only left with sorrow and pain. He knows it’s a poisonous mindset, but it’s one of the few things that gets him closest to actual happiness; a fleeting bit of joy, but still fleeting nonetheless.
With this context, it makes sense why he would be such good friends with someone like Cherri Bomb, who’s just as chaotic as he is and a little hurt inside herself. With her lyrics, we see that she had a bad history with a mysterious figure that isn’t named here, but is a reference to one of Vivzie’s past characters(but I’ll be referring to him as Hunter here). According to her, Hunter fell in love with her, suggesting that they had a thing with each other, but he “fell deeper in this pit”. He gave into his own greed and pride, how money and power proved to be more enticing than a love life with her, even possibly taking advantage of all the death and destruction that ravages Hell on a daily basis, and left her with nothing. Cherri Bomb acts out the way she does as a misguided attempt to get back in his good graces, spreading death everywhere she goes to prove that she’s worthy of him again.
In that respect, both Angel Dust and Cherri Bomb kind of need each other. They both have histories of abusive relationships, and their chaotic natures provides a means of escape and misguided attempts at fixing things. But even with those unhealthy aspects to their dynamic, there’s a glimmer of hope. They both know that what they’re doing isn’t going to fix things, and it’s hinted in the animation that should they take the time to look after and care for one another, they can end up discovering a much more effective means of healing. Angel Dust claimed in the pilot he’s staying at the hotel just to have a place to live rent-free, but he’s also hoping deep down that it’ll help him long-term, that Charlie’s plan of rehabilitating sinners will lead him down the proper path to redemption and recovery. And when he needs time to recuperate in his room, he at least has his adorable pet pig to keep him company.
Like I said, the music video isn’t guaranteed to be totally canon to the official “Hazbin Hotel” series, so who knows? Once it does come out, maybe all of this will end up being obsolete. But the fact that I’m getting that level of analysis from a fan-made song is truly something to behold. There’s a reason it’s the most viewed video on Vivzie’s channel right now. The song slaps, the animation is incredible, and the development it gives both Angel Dust and Cherri Bomb all combine to make it a masterpiece of a video. I’d say see it for yourself, but chances are you already have.
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