Fallen Angel – Crawling Out Of Hell

I have been listening to an absolutely amazing album that really came out of nowhere and knocked me off my feet. That album is called CRAWLING OUT OF...

Released By : Self Released

Genre : Traditional Heavy Metal, Progressive Power Metal

Links : http://www.myspace.com/bandsitefallenangel

Tracklist:

1. Crash To Oblivion

2. Sinner’s Vengeance

3. March Into Hell

4. Blood On My Soul

5. The Grinding Wheels Of War

6. The Reapers Shall Gather

7. Arrival

8. Dark Lord

9. Darkness

10. The One Who Walks Alone

11. The Asnwer

12. Respiration Desperation

13. The Neutral Zone

14. Life Or Death

15. On And On

16. Ashes To Ashes

17. Leaving It All Behind

18. Watching

19. Sad Wings

20. Grant Me Peace

Metal fans of the world listen up! Over the course of the last week I have been listening to an absolutely amazing album that really came out of nowhere and knocked me off my feet. That album is called CRAWLING OUT OF HELL and is the debut album from American traditional metal group FALLEN ANGEL. The album is actually part of a planned trilogy that tells a flowing story and this is one of the best uses of a concept album I have heard in a long time.

The base concept of the story without giving too much away is about a man named Luke, who after falling into a coma finds himself reawakened in the depths of hell and winds up being an unwilling participant in an epic war of good versus evil and heaven against hell, all the while trying to find a way back home. The album is made up of some songs and some instrumental passages that work as a transition between parts of the story, which is told briefly throughout the lyrics book which is actually one of the thickest I have ever seen. The story was penned by one of the bands guitarists John Cruppe, who is also releasing accompanying novels for each part of the trilogy. I had the pleasure of reading a chapter or so of the book and I have already put it on my Christmas whishlist because it’s basically an expanded version of the short story told throughout the album.

It is immediately apparent that these guys are the real deal just by the way they present themselves, and I can tell you that the promo package that was sent to me directly by the band is one of the best presentations I have ever seen especially from a band without the backing of a label. Also, the thick CD inlay features a whole heap of different artwork related to the story and each piece is just great to look at and compares quite humbly to even some of the more elaborate major label presentations.

But, all of this would be in vain if there wasn’t some great music to back it up, but luckily there is. The music is mainly of the traditional heavy metal variety and will have fans of bands like JUDAS PRIEST and IRON MAIDEN totally excited, but for a more modern comparison look no further that ICED EARTH, a band which FALLEN ANGEL have a lot in common with. The riffs are excellent, the dual guitar lead breaks are a thing of wonder and the rhythm section motors along in an almost hypnotizing fashion. The vocals are along the lines of UDO DIRKSCHNEIDER but really work in with the feel of the music perfectly.

I won’t attempt to pick out individual highlights from this album as it really should be listened to all at once, with no distractions and full attention being paid to the lyrics booklet. Let’s just say that each track here holds something special and each piece of music seems essential to keeping the flow of the story. I’m not going to give this album top marks, but only because I want to leave room for when they finally release part two of this trilogy, which I suspect by then will see the band having a pretty strong backing from a decent label.

The one and only thing that I felt was missing from CRAWLING OUT OF HELL was a major label bombastic production like what we would hear on an ICED EARTH album for example, but being that FALLEN ANGEL are an independent band this is totally understandable. Don’t get me wrong, the production on offer is actually quite good, but I just hope that their next release can sound as good as I know they deserve to sound. In summary, this is a magnificent first effort from an unknown band that has immediately found its way into my top ten metal releases of the year and I am recommending for every person that reads this to go and check it out. Just keep in mind that this is one of those rare albums that really doesn’t work in a digital sense, you need the full release with all of the lyrics and artwork to truly appreciate what FALLEN ANGEL have achieved.

Written By ZeeZee

Rating : 9/10

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