Band: Angel 7
Title: Black And White
Label: Bombworks Records
Release Date: 8/1/06
Review By: Josh IndieVision
Tracklisting:
01. Black And White
02. New Heavens Above The New Land
03. The Price Of War
04. Force Of Belief And Love
05. Everything That Is Necessary For Us, Is Only Love
06. TV Antichrist
07. Jerusalem
08. The Eternity Calls
09. Spirit Of Freedom
10. Until I Have Not Died
11. From Darkness In Light
12. Babylon Will Fall
Members/Duties:
Nikolay Kiriljuk: Guitars
Slava Malinin: Vocals, Keyboards, Bass, Drums, Programming
A band that defies genre. Angel 7, formerly known as 7th Angel, combines the insane instrumental work of technical power metal with the furious sound of black and death metals. The band hails from the Ukraine, and surprising as that is, they aren’t the only ones. They are countrymen and now also labelmates of the popular metal group Holy Blood. This is their debut effort on Bombworks.
The keyboard and programmed intro really sets the stage for this album. As soon as track #2, “New Heavens Above The New Land” starts it will knock you out of your chair. You will know you’re in for a treat! The storm is unleashed here and rarely let’s up through. The pace is quick and double bass nearly constant. “Everything, That Is Necessary For Us, It’s Only Love” throws you for a loop and gives you a break for a bit. It has a different beat more associated with some of their folk metal countrymen. This is only a short reprieve until the speed metal starts again. There are a few short pauses throughout with some instrumental work and some keyboard/techno type sounds as well.
The only part I had to get used to on this album was Slava’s different vocals. They are harsh and at an interesting pitch, but you will get used to them. If you’re a fan of guitar work, the solos are found all over this album and let me say Nikolay can shred. Some of the best guitar work I’ve heard in quite some time. When he’s not soloing there’s quite a bit of technical work and heavy rhythmic work. Throw in some synth and raspy vocals and you still will have no idea of what this band is capable of. The creativity seems to be never ending and by far surpasses the usual death/black styles. Any fans of metal at all or those who can respect musical talent need to own this album!
Standout Tracks: “New Heavens Above The New Land”, “Power Of Belief And Love”,
Individual Ratings:
Lyrics: The lyrics are hard to read through and show off a bit of broken English. Reading through definitely show that the band’s faith in Christ is strong.
Marketability: Definitely nothing like it that I’ve heard. An amazingly talented duo, who have won my devotion. A must have for any metal fan!
Similar To: Sonata Artica, Dragonforce both mixed with Death metal sounds
Website
Bombworks Records
Buy: Radrockers