ENGEL - Blood Of Saints
October 1, 2012, 12 years ago
(Frostbyte)
ENGEL have turned in a third album that continues the band’s manadate of pushing forward the Gothenburg melodic death metal sound through modest increments, that is, main gesture being industrial layerings manifest most controversially with the Skrillex skronks on opener ‘Question Your Place’. After that however, we’re into an efficient cross between the brisk thrash of ARCH ENEMY and the somewhat mournful key-tinged melodies of EVERGREY. IN FLAMES comparisons are unavoidable as well, given that this is a side-project for that band’s guitarist Niclas Engelin. But really, this is a band with a fair bit of buzz on their own, given the favourable impact of their second album, 2010’s Threnody. Quick, energetic, full up with layers (and maybe too many – just because you can, doesn’t mean you should...), Blood Of Saints is a progressive thrash feast that is fully modern enough to rope in fans from dubstep and beyond, those who might not quite have it register that they’re hearing relentless metal from a rich tradition they’ve never heard of, namely melodic death.
