Angelix
Untitled release
Reviewed by Michael Morris
This tape has a good clean sound - for a demo. Anyone who is into good guitar crunch should send their five bucks and get this before the Dallas-based band runs out of copies. Your money would be well-spent on a promising young group. Most of the songs on this project are typical Christian metal fare. With songs like "Turn to the Light", "God Won't Give Up", and "Crash & Burn", you pretty much know what to expect without a lyric sheet. The latter song and "Upon the Rock" are standout cuts that should please most headbangers. The tune "Valley of the Mountains" is one of my favorites, despite the fact that it seems to wander around a bit in subject. I like the fact that it begins slow and builds to an emotional "Take the mountain!" It is also an excellent diversion from standard metal. The biggest flaw that I found is in the vocals. The singer (not named) has some excellent raw talent and promise. The arrangement of most of the songs suffers in that there is rarely a good mix of tight performance and "impromptu" emotion. The intensity sometimes seems staged and the production makes some of the background vocals appear unnecessary. Performance on this tape is tight. The energy level of this project makes me sweat without working out. There is some fun here and a good collection of tunes to set your headphones hopping and keep your car stereo close to maximum level. To order, send $5 to: Wings of Steel Ministry, PO Box 74111, Dallas TX 75374-1111.