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| Artwork by Art by Bring |
I love Angel Sword but I wasn’t sure on them at first. Their mix of rough, melodic, mid-paced heavy metal and gravelly Lemmy inspired vocals can take a bit to get into, but it’s chock full of hooks and sing-along choruses. They sound authentic and like they’re having a ton of fun. The odd mix of vocals and musical style really set them apart from the heavy metal crowd.
Much to my delight, Angel Sword’s second full length, Neon City, dropped over the weekend with little warning or fanfare. It continues the heavy metal journey started on their first album, Rebels Beyond the Pale. The titular city is, in fact, pictured on the back cover for their last record and it's the urban counterpoint to the previous album which featured songs focusing on heavy metal, Mad Max inspired highways, and heroes fighting against authority.
The anti-authority sentiment continues, but, as is immediately apparent from Neon City’s cover, it takes it’s cues from Cyberpunk building up the story of a thought-controlled surveillance city-state policed by brainwashed cyborgs and the fight against total control. The liner notes are perfect for their retro brand of Cyberpunk metal. Included with the download are digital liner notes all designed to look like a DOS terminal displayed on a glowing green CRT monitor. They’ve even given file extensions to the track (.trk), production (.job) and band member (.mem) lists and the lyrics sheet separates lines with /// and uses REPEAT CHORUS. It’s pitch perfect.
There is also a bit of a musical shift keeping the theme cohesive. Jerry Razors’ vocals are largely unchanged but the band is a bit tighter and cleaner sounding this time with some speedier sections of double kick and metal gallop propelling things along. Some may miss the messier sound from Rebels, but the tighter, cleaner sound is perfect for the Cyberpunk vibe permeating the album. As a bonus, the master is DR 11 so you get the full retro metal sound with nice retro dynamics giving the low end a great thump and compelling you to crank it up.