Angel Witch - Angel Of Light - review
Angel Witch - Angel Of Light - review
Tracklist
01. Don't Turn Your Back02. Death From Andromeda
03. We Are Damned
04. The Night Is Calling
05. Condemned
06. Window Of Despair
07. I Am Infamy
08. Angel Of Light
A review by
nikarg December 22, 2019
Angel Witch is the brainchild of guitarist/vocalist Kevin Heybourne, whose ability to craft razorsharp and memorable riffs has always been admirable, and his nostalgic-sounding voice is a joy to listen to. Angel Of Light is a very strong release for the band and this is obvious from the very beginning with the fiery introduction of "Don't Turn Your Back", which is the greatest opener they have had since "Angel Witch" and those of you who know that iconic song (is there really anyone here who doesn't?) can understand what a bold statement this is.
While exploring the rest of the album, you will generally find infectious guitars aplenty, like in the outro of "Death From Andromeda", the opening of "We Are Damned" or the solo of "I Am Infamy". Anthemic, sing-along choruses, again on "Don't Turn Your Back" and "We Are Damned", as well as on "Condemned", are sure to please any fan of the style. Another song that deserves extra praise is "The Night Is Calling". It is a ballad, Angel Witch-style, with acoustic guitars, doomy riffs, a "Kashmir"-esque part somewhere in the middle followed by an explosive riff, all in the same song, which previously existed only as a rare bootlegged live version (but enough to inspire the young Leif Edling to cover it in his pre-Candlemass band, Nemesis). No wonder that this track and "Don't Turn Your Back" are the album's highlights; they only now got a studio recording but both date back to the '80s and score high on the retro-love-metre. And it is a fact that Kevin Heybourne tried to embrace the glory of the past, going as far as to lay down his parts using the Marshall JMP amp head that he employed for Angel Witch's self-titled debut.
And this brings us to one of the album's weaknesses. The band didn't collaborate with Jaime Gomez Arellano (producer of As Above, So Below), who is renowned for his more organic-sounding work, but they went for an even more vintage recording. The result is not as successful and engaging as the one that Satan had in their latest release for example; the cymbals especially do my head in, sounding at times like the jingles of a tambourine.
Another point of criticism, albeit a minor one, is that the songs are slightly longer than what you'd expect from a traditional heavy metal album and this can probably be attributed to the inclusion of more doomy parts, but the prolonged duration is not always justified. This is mainly noticed in the last third of Angel Of Light, with the final three tracks being somewhat inferior to the first five.
Shortcomings aside, Angel Of Light is classic Angel Witch, full of hooks and superior to its predecessor on every aspect but the production. It finds Mr. Heybourne at an inspired time of his life and, with all these new bands trying to recreate the traditional metal sound, it's nice to see Angel Witch alive and kicking, and [url= https://angelwitch.bandcamp.com/album/angel-of-light]demonstrating how it's properly done[/url].
"Don't turn your back
Don't turn the page
For there is strength in ancient ways"
Comments
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Posts: 64509
Good album, band s bit unlnow to many but what know are loysl
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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I adore the first album and have been let down to some degree by every album since, so this got me really excited - and I have to say that all of your praise was warranted. I don't mind As Above, So Below, but it was more of a drag than the exciting reunion I'd hoped for; Angel Of Light is really what I wished it had been. Even if it's not another Angel Witch, this is still a great album. I kind of like the band's doomy tendencies, too (at least, I did on the debut), so that's not much of a downside for me; this is definitely one of the best surprises of the year.
---- "Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader I'm the Agent of Steel.
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