DESOLATION ANGELS – Burning Black (2022)
The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal is the gift that keeps on giving. While everyone and their dog knows Iron Maiden, Saxon and Def Leppard, the movement contained so many quality bands that the deeper one digs, the more gems they find.
DESOLATION ANGELS have a particularly interesting history. Starting up in a London scene which also featured the likes of Angel Witch and the aforementioned Maiden, the band had the chance to record their self-titled, cult album, in 1986, a bit too late from the NWoBHM explosion years. Then they moved to the United States in 1987 to try their luck across the pond. They would call it a day in 1994 but it’s very hard to keep the spirit of heavy metal down and so in 2012, guitarist Robin Brancher and Keith Sharp resurrected the band, eventually releasing the album, ‘King’ independently in 2017, poorly distributed.
Marching on with vigour and determination, the band now find themselves signed to Dissonance Records and with a new album, “Burning Black“, recorded at the studios of the late, recently disappeared Grim Reaper vocalist Steve Grimmett, who also helped the band to recapture the classic ’80s sound.
“Burning Black” keeps the classic NWoBHM flame high. The album also brings back the band’s personality that is doing the music the way they like, always thinking musically out of the box. The new LP biggest pro is going back in that and bringing some 1970s influences from classic Hard Rock and even from Deep Purple.
Opener track “Living a Lie” showcases some of that mix of 1981 metal and hard rock. It’s very classy, very well recorded and performed. It’s classic stuff. Then comes “Unseen Enemy” hew have 70s vocals while guitars are pure 1980s British metal. Little by little the album recovers the old cult aura this band has.
“Hydra” has the same opaque guitars and the old Eighties feeling. Paul Taylor’s vocals slowly acquires more and more personality mixing influences from the 1970s.
“Mother Earth” is kind of a The Birds mixed with Iron Maiden. It’s crazy and familiar at the same time. And it’s good! It’s the sweetness and the tenderness the catches us as well as the catchy and singalong chorus “Mother Nature is crying… Mother World is dying”.
”Walking on Water” is a more straight hard rocker, with s simple catchy riff claming to be performed live. Think the melodic Saxon side and some vintage Tygers.
Title track “Burning Black” is terrific: a midtempo groovy metal tune with a lot of Black Sabbath / Tony Martin era. Love its ’80s sound and atmosphere.
Same with closer, the powerful ballad ‘She Walks in Starlight’, but not in the same terms of the famous power ballads. It’s more a slower theme with a sonancy that reminds you the good old times of classic metal ballads. It’s curious; at places Taylor’s vocals seems out-of-tune, but darn, that’s what gives the song a fantastic touch.
With “Burning Black” Desolation Angels brought back the old feeling, the old aura of classy British Metal. Here the band finds the right balance between the good production and the old charm from the era, because the modern production almost always kills the vibe from cult bands.
If you love classic, I mean CLASSIC traditional metal with melody and atmospheres – in the way it was done between 1978 – 1983, then “Burning Black” is a mandatory listen.
HIGHLY Recommended
01 – Living a Lie
02 – Unseen Enemy
03 – Hydra
04 – Mother Earth
05 – Walking on Water
06 – Burning Black
07 – Eyes of the Assassin
08 – Stand Your Ground
09 – Best Served Hot
10 – She Walks in Starlight
Paul Taylor – vocals
Keith Sharp – guitars
Richie Yeates – lead guitar
Clive Pearson – bass
Chris Takka – drums
Connor Sharp – keyboards
BUY
desolationangelsofficial.bandcamp.com/album/burning-black
