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When Angels Kill

    
       
       
       
     
             
Fifth Angel are a melodic power metal band from the USA, releasing four albums to date - 'Fifth Angel' (1986), 'Time Will Tell' (1989), 'The Third Secret' (2018), and 'When Angels Kill'...    
             
...released in 2023, featuring an incredible fourteen songs across a seventy minute run time! And even though it's the bands fourth album, its release comes an amazing thirty six years after their self titled debut - Fifth Angel disbanding after only five years (from 1984 to 1989), to go silent until a fabulous and very well received reunion at the 2010 Keep It True Festival in Germany. The reaction from the crowd was phenomenal, paving the way for the bands full reunion, and the first Fifth Angel album ('The Third Secret') in over three decades! And now here we are, just a few short years later, with the bands new (fourth) album 'When Angels Kill' - a monolithic fourteen song offering packed to the rafters with melodious heavy metal.    
             
But before I dive into 'When Angels Kill', a little observation surrounding the albums cover - which bears an uncanny resemblance to the cover of symphonic metal band Kiara's album 'Archangel' (released in 2022). Click here to view the 'Archangel' cover. As I say, just a little observation that takes nothing away from Fifth Angel's incredible album - an album that comes to life with the one minute effects laden and eerie intro 'Descent Into Darkness' segueing straight into album opener proper, the title song 'When Angels Kill' - and a glorious gallop of traditional "foot on the monitor" heavy metal. Blended with the more muscular style of American metal, the band are striding tall, turning heads wherever 'When Angels Kill' (the song) is played and heard.    
             
The incredible intensity of the previous song is majestically maintained with the ground shuddering 'Resist The Tyrant' - an anthemic feel rising high into the air. 'Resist The Tyrant' still bears American muscle, yet a more melodious nature comes to the fore, the band casually hooking listeners, fans and followers to the bands music. Pace, power and energy all triple for the hard hitting 'On Wings Of Steel', the head bangers of the world waking up to furiously nod their heads back and forth. The opening three songs have all displayed slightly different styles of metal, each one coming at you from a different corner of the heavy metal genre! Talk about roaming around, Fifth Angel have a full tank of gas and are ready for a road trip - a road trip of heavy fucking metal! And with no sign of the intensity level dropping, 'We Are Immortal' bustles in with a swagger and a stomp akin to a rabble rousing anthemic march. Simply cracking stuff from the American five piece.    
             
Bringing an epic touch to the album, 'Empire Of Hate' opens with a cinematic atmosphere, adopting the iconic gallop of old school metal as it gets going proper. And even with an increased level of menace, the band lose nothing of the phenomenal melodious intent they began the album with. An album that has progressed song by song with relentless intoxication - 'Run To The Black' hitting listeners hard like a runaway steam train! The oomph of 'Run To The Black' is incredible, the band slamming everyone to the floor with ferocious force, then caressing you, whispering sorry in your ear over and over again! The passion Fifth Angel are pouring into this album is overwhelming, the band putting their heart and soul into every single song on offer. And raising the energy levels even higher, 'Seven Angels' is a galloping slice of traditional heavy metal, the band firmly planting their collective feet on the monitors - old schoolers the world over drooling like a waterfall at the perfect essence of 'Seven Angels'.    
             
The album has been a non stop roller coaster ride of infectious heavy metal up to this point, the band showing absolutely no sign of slowing down or changing track, 'Blinded And Bleeding' echoing the iconic guitar sound of the NWOBHM - Fifth Angel maintaining a very strong old school flavour. Yet the band aren't looking to be a retro band, hell no! 'When Angels Kill' (the album) has plenty of modern twists, turns, and touches to please new and old fans alike. And now for a run of four songs, all clocking in at over six minutes in length - the first of which 'Kill The Pain', is a majestic march of anthemic metal the likes of Saxon, Sabaton and Manowar would be proud of. So come on all you listeners, fans and followers, raise your fists high in the air and join in with the bands rabble rousing call to arms antics, err, anthem! Arriving at eighty eight miles an hour from the mid eighties, 'Five Days To Madness' is a glorious mid tempo gallop of NWOBHM tinged foot on the monitor heavy metal, the band maintaining their penchant for harking back to their roots. And don't forget, Fifth Angel are a band of the eighties, forming at a time when traditional metal was booming, becoming the best thing since the proverbial sliced bread!    
             
The infectious and catchy sing a long ability of the album is just incredible - every song showcasing everything great about melodic heavy metal. The band are in unstoppable mood, striding on with the epic 'Ashes To Ashes', and an atmospheric intro fit for a Hollywood blockbuster! The majestic swagger is phenomenal, Fifth Angel introducing a hymn-like nature not heard anywhere else previously - yet the intensity level remains sky high! Not to mention the levels of attraction and addictiveness, the band losing no-ones interest as the album approaches the one hour mark! An hour already! Un-fucking-believable! And with a thunderous attitude, 'The End Of Everything' blasts off, adopting a progressive metal feel as it gets going proper - the band maintaining the marvellous majesty of the two previous songs. These four six minute songs (in a row) have been some of the finest mid tempo, epic and melodious songs I have heard for some time. And to have them all grouped together over one twenty minute plus stretch - a masterful piece of planning! Kudos Fifth Angel. Kudos! And as we all know, all good things come to an end, and so does this album, the band lighting up the sky one final time with the fast paced 'Light The Skies' - pummelling listeners with (probably) the first real power metaller 'When Angels Kill' (the album) has to offer. A simply glorious end to a glorious album.    
             
Overall, a majestic march of melodious heavy metal, one hundred percent infectious and a very pleasurable listen.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
Review is also featured at Metal-Roos    
             
             
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