Tuesday 25 January 2011

Fifth Angel - Fifth Angel (1986)

To some this may be generic heavy metal but for me this is blessed with breezy, catchy riffs straight from the mid '80s metal cauldron. Neither dark or light, this debut record is full of velvet vocals and ascending guitars, hints of Dio, Dokken et al, melodic choruses etc. 'Midnight Love' might not be every metaller's cup of tea but one needs to appreciate it for what it is - a powerful rock track. Some nifty guitar work weaves together each well structured track which are backed by solid drums. Fave cut is 'The Night', archetype metal to some extent but hey, there was always a lot of archetype metal back then. 'Call Out The Warning' and 'Only The Strong Survive' wouldn't have elevated Fifth Angel to wondrous heights but it's more than competent metal which makes for a wholesome listen.

6.5/10

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