No words could ever be good enough to describe the powerhouse that is Fallen Angel.
You tend to find that, when a CD is sent for review in a sealed jewel case, with its accompanying press release colour printed on glossy paper, it's generally a good sign that the band you're about to listen to is worth the extra pennies. I had high hopes for Fallen Angel before I even put the CD into the CD player.
"Crawling out of Hell", which tells a story (though I must admit the lyrics are pretty difficult to make out in places), is the beginning of a planned trilogy of CDs, which will be accompanied by novels penned by co-lead guitarist and producer John Cruppe. The group's gothic image directly portrays villains from their epic saga to bring an additional dynamic to their live show. Sounds very impressive on paper, but could the music live up to the big words?
No words could ever be good enough to describe the powerhouse that is Fallen Angel.
Combining power metal, thrash metal and progressive metal with a very noticeable classic vibe, Fallen Angel deliver an incredible display of talented musicianship. Creative buttons suitably pressed, I was spellbound right to the very end of the 20-track album. Whirling guitar solos, incredible vocal contributions that would leap from throaty growls to high-pitched metal screams in the blink of an eye, special effects that ranged from an ominous heartbeat to shouts and bangs that conjured images of bloody battle scenes, I was absolutely mesmerised by this musical experiment.
Heavy metal as a genre has become so dull recently, with every other band ripping off the originality of a bigger, better act, however Fallen Angel have taken the best bits from every corner of metal and cast it into a brand new dynamic sound that will undoubtedly get the seal of approval from music fans worldwide. Add to this the idea of a novel to accompany the music (which I will be tracking down as soon as this review is written!) and you've got a wonderfully unique creation that has literally made my day.
The Fallen Angel experience is one that I would recommend to any open-minded music fan out there, irrespective of their preferred genre. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for tour dates; I imagine the band's theatrical show would be one that I would remember for a long time to come!
Fallen Angel's debut album "Crawling out of Hell" and its accompanying novel of the same name are available now. For further information about this innovative band, check out the following websites:
www.fallenangelofficialwebsite.com
www.myspace.com/bandsitefallenangel
www.reverbnation.com/fallenangelband
http://johncruppeauthor.com.istemp.com/index.html