Angel 7- Hail to the King
Angel 7 is not a new player in the scene. The Kiev, Ukraine based metal band mixes their classic metal style with technical thrash and death metal vocals for a heavy, in-your-face wall of sound. While earlier albums have been in Russian, the past few discs are in English, as is this one. The band has a refreshingly diverse blend of influences. Sometimes they portray themselves in a traditional metal manner with a decidedly Maidenesque galloping bass line. Other times the speedy riffing of technical thrash not unlike Believer or Tourniquet pushes to the forefront. Axework is quite capable and muscular. Most of the time the death metal vocals resemble A. Sarkoja of Immortal Souls or Steve Rowe's early Mortification throaty snarls, but occasionally accompanied by melodic gang vocals. The band plays too fast to be considered doom metal, but the heavy bottom end and keyboard tone contribute to a most somber mood. Cover art is fantastic and the lyrics are evangelistic and well thought out. Excellent work from Angel 7 that is waiting for you to discover. (Vision of God Records) 3.5 out of 5 stars
