Angel Blake
Angel Blake

If the reader of this review is a fan of extreme metal, they have most likely heard of The Crown, a Swedish band known for their excellent thrash/death metal. After their disbandment, two musicians from the group, guitarist Marko Tervonen and drummer Janne Saarenpää, decided to form a new band and venture into territories that are perhaps a bit more trodden, diving into gothic metal. The new band is called Angel Blake, and this 2006 record is their self-titled debut.

I should clarify right away that I'm not a huge fan of thrash sounds and I know little about death (and that little is very melodic and atmospheric), so I had never heard of The Crown or the two aforementioned musicians. I bought the album fooled by a simple label that read "for all fans of Sentenced, (...) Paradise Lost and H.I.M. (sic!)": in full Sentenced phase (I was hooked on the "Funeral Album", have patience), and with the notes of "Draconian Times" still in my mind and heart, I couldn't resist this tempting offer.

As soon as I put the CD in the player, I realized there was a cover of "Paint It Black" of Rolling Stone memory: what do you do, not listen to it?! And down with "Paint It Black" at full blast. Well, the track wasn't bad: guitar with rocky and solid riffs, powerful voice that sometimes reminded me of Uncle Ozzy (for the record, in this song as in the whole album, the singing is by Tony Jelenovich of Mnemic), stunning rhythm section, worthy of a thrash band in their luminous glory. Encouraged by this cover, I rewound the disc to the first track and dedicated myself to listening: what happened next was a slow and inexorable fall of enthusiasm, and my grin gradually turned into a grimace that later made me put it aside.

To this day, I can't listen to the album in full and for long periods, there's something that bothers me. Yes, there are nice moments, like the sustained and typically gothic "Lycanthrope", "Self - Terminate" with its notable allusions to Sabbath, "The Forsaken" (perhaps the one that most reminded me of the late Sentenced) and little else. A bit too little given the caliber of the musicians involved, who, to be clear, do their part completely, but without personality. The biggest flaw of this record is indeed the absolute lack of originality and the pressing flatness more looming than the gothic aura the band would claim to represent. "Angel Blake" is a big cauldron into which many styles flow and the eagerness (a lot of it) and desire for redemption of Tervonen, but they are certainly not enough to raise the head of this album which, as far as I am concerned, will gather a lot of dust on my shelf.

The rating would be almost a 3, but out of respect for the records to which I've already given this rating, I'll give it a 2. I repeat, on one hand, it doesn't deserve it, but on the other, it feels like a wasted opportunity, for a group that, if they ever find their way, will certainly be able to churn out excellent albums.