ANGELS OF BABYLON - Thundergod

I was listening to this album for quite some time, and it slowly grew on me, making me sing along it's melodies, and moving my head with the rhythm. So, when I decided to dig a bit deeper, I found out that this is the second album of the band that was created by ex Manowar drummer, Rhino. The band is playing a mixture of Classic and Power Metal with huge injections of Epic, the kind of music that will make fans shiver, and contains all the trademarks of the style. The first thing to notice is the remarkable vocalist, that often brings memories of Dio in the way he performs, but never ceases to amaze, because he is really good at what he does. Changing his vocals along with the style of the music, sometimes more pompous and Epic, others closer to Classic or Power forms, he always delivers with the same high quality. Another strong point of the album are the guitar riffs, old school but with a modern touch, always interesting and groovy, and certainly one of the things that stick in the mind. Along with that comes the solos, melodic and complex enough, fast and flawless, with a touch of Neoclassical shredding, but not so much to spoil the atmosphere of the album. The rhythm section is also very good, with both Rhino and Steve Handel doing an excellent work. What impresses here though is that the whole album in general was done with the 80's feeling in mind, something that you can easily notice from the beginning. The songs are straightforward, with catchy choruses and guitar melodies specially created to lure you to their net, with no triggering or quantization. What I like here is that the band has variety, although moving a certain path, something that won't let the listener get bored. There are the fast tempo songs, ideal for some good oldfashioned headbanging, the slower and more melodic stuff, and the good thing is that each song has it's own personality. As Rhino stated, this album is written from the heart, with a lot of love in it. So, forget for a moment the musicianship, and the arrangements, and you will see what's the motive behind this release, it's love and respect for what they do. Last, but certainly not least, we have to mention, that the song Thundergod, is dedicated to Scott Columbus.