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THE ARCHIVES
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Morrigan's Pit has closed down as of November 2006. The site and its articles will stay online as an archive until September at least, but probably longer.
The Archives
2002-2006
» CD REVIEWS
» INTERVIEWS
» LIVE REVIEWS
» SPECIALS
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ANGEL BLAKE
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Angel Blake
2006
Metal Blade
http://www.angelblake.com
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1. The Force
2. Retaliate
3. Lycanthrope
4. Self-Terminate
5. Solitude, My Friend
6. Autumnal
7. The Forsaken
8. Thousand Storms
9. Paint It Black
10. ... 'Til The End
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Ex-The Crown guitarist Marko Tervonen started his own project Angel Blake after The Crown called it quits. He played all the instruments, mixed and produced the music himself and asked Tony Jelencovich (ex -Transport League/Mnemic) for the vocal part (or the "voKILLS" as Marko puts it ;)). He claims to be influenced by bands like Sentenced, Paradise Lost, Metallica and Danzig (so don't expect some sort of extension of The Crown), but since I've never been a fan of these bands (besides a "Mother" era Danzig and of course old-Metallica) I'll have to take his word for it for the most part. It's funny though that despite these references (and my own taste) I immediately loved Angel Blake's debut! Sure, there is a lot of melancholy, but I don't find the album as a whole depressive or anything, for it's also often very energetic and/or catchy. The album is diverse, well-written, well-performed, so simply a captivating and (at least to me) refreshing product. I don't even know how to describe the level of songwriting... so many ideas, atmospheres and different elements have been blended together perfectly and you'll hear (and enjoy) new things with each listen. And Tony's clean, dark vocals are like an oasis between all the screaming vocals nowadays ;)
The up-tempo intro "The Force" starts heavy and powerful, and immediately caught my attention and made my heart skip a beat :) "Retaliate" also shows the energetic side and all of Marko's talents in the songwriting and musicianship! It's clear that Tony's voice is a huge asset to the band - the combination is perfect. "Retaliate" has a catchy chorus but in general simply rocks (my favorite song)! "Lycanthrope" is more melancholic with driven Danzig type of vocals. "Self-Terminate" is sluggish slow and melodic, with a cool, more aggressive, chorus (gotta love that :)). Esp. the way Tony sings/roars the title at the end of the song gives me goosebumps and I wish he did that more often! With "Solitude, My Friend" it's time for more melancholy again, but even more so in the instrumental piano intermezzo "Autumnal" which sounds like some old recording and like it was written for someone's funeral or something. "The Forsaken" has more energy again, and with the rocking and catchy chorus it's a song that I could imagine hearing on the radio. Esp. with the higher vocals at the end it's one of the best songs on the album. "Thousand Storms" is again darker with some Metallica type of riffing (and a very cool intro). With "Paint It Black" they cover the Stones, and although it's really not bad, I'm not too fond of it. I usually like heavier versions of classic songs, but "Paint It Black" has something so specifically unique that is hard to capture in a cover. Might be just a matter of taste. "... 'Til The End" ends the album slow and melancholic with driven vocals in the Danzig-vein again.
If you're, like me, not really into melancholic stuff, you should IMO still check out Angel Blake. Let the diversity, drive and quality surprise you! Marko Tervonen must be a very, very proud man :)
submitted by Marlies 23.03.2006
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rating 1 - 5 Morrigans
5 = awesome, 4 = good, 3 = average, 2 = keep practising, 1 = sell your gear!
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