Review FIFTH ANGEL ‘When Angels Kill’

Fifth Angel belongs to the bands, hailing from the greater Seattle area. Bands like Queensryche, Sanctuary and Heir Apparent have/had their homebase there. Fifth Angel comes from the same area although Bellevue, Washington is on the other side of the Lake Washington. However, Fifth Angel belong to the bands I’m following since the very early days and the disappointment was being when the band parted ways in 1989 after having launched two stellar albums.

The bigger was the delight when the band reunited in 2017 and unveiled their third album in 2018. After another five years, and one pandemic later, the band has with ‘When Angels Kill’ their next album in the starting blocks.

First signs have been very positive as the title track and the thundering ‘Resist the Tyrant’ have been launched as single prior to the album release date. Both tracks are at the top half of the album and provide a heavy start into ‘When Angels Kill’.

The fourth longplayer of the band carries 14 songs and 69 minutes of powerful west coast metal. What stands out is, that the band builds on their trademarks. The powerful riffing, Ken Mary’s excellent drumming and Steven Carlson’s vocals, it all fits perfectly together on this release and makes songs like ‘Empire of Hate’ to outstanding metal anthems.

Photo: Shane Eckert

With ‘Run to the Black’ and ‘Seven Angels’ the longplayer has two good tracks on the list while at the same time, they can’t really keep up with the rest of the album. However, the bottom half of the tracklist features great songs too. What is noticeable is the length, with some of the songs being beyond the six-minute running time. These songs are entertaining examples of good songwriting. Fifth Angel add a bit more bombast and drama to these songs and it is the cinematic ‘Ashes to Ashes’ that reminds of the ‘Operation Mindcrime’-days of Queensryche.

Mentioning this milestone album, also ‘When Angels Kill’ is a concept album, telling the story of a guy named Phoenix. The main character lives in a world change and the oppression of a ruthless leader. In such an environment, Phoenix resists and starts to fight for a better world.

To sum up: ‘When Angels Kill’ is the anticipated new Fifth Angel studio album and it is a next milestone in the band’s history. These songs reflect the greatness of powerful metal and proves that the spirit of the 80’s can be transferred into the 2020^th with a metal heart pumping pure adrenaline through the veins.