Angel was of course everything that was over the top, overblown and gloriously outrageous about the 70’s. A band that wore all white had a spectacular stage show and were the complete embodiment of Pomp Rock – I loved it, and as a kid could never get enough even if those dreams were an ocean away in the U.S. Everyone here in the U.K. seemed to be obsessed with Punk when I was playing ‘On Earth as it is in Heaven’, in truth I largely missed connecting with punk – to me The Clash and the Pistols were pale imitators of the past – bands like MC5, The Stooges, The New York Dolls, Blondie and Talking Heads – East Coast U.S. bands that did it far better. Angel was a band from the West Coast – another Universe entirely!
Sadly white satin was in hard supply in the U.K. at the end of the 70’s (probably a good thing in retrospect) so as I basked in the wonder of 1979’s ‘Sinful’ which I still consider one of the greatest albums of all time, I could get away without a bashing from the Punks and the Skins and the Mods as I carried my Kiss and Angel albums home.
Angel of course have rekindled the flame before with the ‘early days’ vibe of ‘In the Beginning’ back in 1999, but it was the second reformation of the band with Frank and Punky in 2019 and the resulting album ‘Risen’ that things really seemed to click and 4 years later here we are with ‘Once Upon a Time’ featuring the same line up as that album.
Opener ‘The Torch’ has the wonderfully early Angel overblown sound that I loved as a kid but with a distinctly modern sheen that rounds off the excesses and sharpens the guitars. It’s a great opener and ‘Black Moon Rising’ that follows doubles down with some great guitar and wonderful melodies. It’s a great way to open the new record and whilst it may not blow old or new fans away there’s enough in the opening to suggest there may be gold ahead. And it doesn’t take long to make that strike. The first nugget comes with ‘It’s Alright’ – the Synth-infused light Rocker that graced albums like Sinful – it’s gloriously unashamedly 1979 again! It’s also a great choice for a first single and builds upon the early promise.
It’s not all gold though… The title track might just have the cheesiest lyrics I’ve heard this Century and then some! As a song ‘Once Upon a Time a Devil and an Angel Fell in Love (And it Did Not End Well)’ is like Andrew Lloyd Webber got drunk with Jim Steinman one night and created a rock opera on the back of a beermat. And if you think the song is overblown then the breakdown is even more preposterous than those boys could come up with on a tequila and absinth binge! As much as I may cringe though on one level on another it is sublime! You love Pomp? Then this might be the most Pomp of all!
After that double white satin moment the waterfall and piano that open ‘Let it Rain’ thankfully bring you back to Earth. ‘Let it Rain’ is a wonderful song with some nice ELO overtones and great melodies that steady the ship nicely!
But if you want ‘parping’ synth then ‘Psyclone’ even has those space noises that were discontinued in the late 80’s but it’s fucking great! If you want and crave those authentic Angel sounds of yesteryear then this is one for you! And this for me is where things really come alive and it just doesn’t stop! ‘Blood of My Blood, Bone of My Bone’ starts off with a horn-like synth pattern more like old school Rhythm and Blues than Rock and Roll and those sweet backing vocals just add to the overall sound. It’s a wonderful Soul-infused number that though stunningly and completely out of place is simply wonderful . As is ‘Turn the Record Over’ which has that wonderful ‘Sinful’ vibe. Honestly this could be my favourite part of the whole album!
Pitching the album right is a wonderfully rocky ride as then we are treated to ‘Rock Star’ that seems to grab a snatch of ‘Layla’ to open. It’s a nice hard rocker that treads a well-worn path lyrically and whilst not a stand out for me it’s worth your time. It’s the early Angel sounds of ‘Without You’ though that really pulls you in again. It takes you right back to those early records seemingly effortlessly!
‘Without You’ is another brooding Rocker that reaches back to the early days and brings that sound up to date rather like the opener did, but it arguably works even better here. It’s down to ‘Liar Liar’ to close the album proper with a nice mid-tempo rocker that hints at later albums of the original incarnation replete with cheesy lyrics and feelgood chorus. It’s a wonderfully anachronistic way to end which of course is all part of the charm.
The CD version adds three bonus tracks ‘Daddy’s Girl’. ‘C’mon’ and ‘Let The Kid Out.’ ‘Daddy’s Girl’ sounds like an outtake from ‘On Earth’ or ‘White Hot’, a nice Pop infused Rocker that leans towards AOR. It’s one that definitely deserves a spot in the main event. The shorter, sharper ‘C’Mon’ too sounds great too! It’s almost perfect save for the final track ‘Let The Kid Out’ that closes out the CD. It’s a song that sports some cringy lyrics and comes across as a lite low calorie version of ‘Wild and Hot’ at least in sentiment! If there was one track I could have done without on the entire record it might just be this one. A very odd way to close what is a solid and consistent return.
If I have one comment on the album overall it would be that as 10 songs this could have been a classic , conversely as a fan I don’t think I could have done without those other moments that make up the whole, except maybe one! Angel Mark #3 is delivering again. Can’t wait to see them live!
8/10
TRACK LIST:
1. The Torch
2. Black Moon Rising
3. It’s Alright
4. Once Upon A Time An Angel And A Devil Fell In Love (And It Did Not End Well)
5. Let It Rain
6. Psyclone
7. Blood Of My Blood, Bone Of My Bone
8. Turn The Record Over
9. Rock Star
10. Without You
11. Liar Liar
BONUS TRACKS [CD ONLY]
12. Daddy’s Girl
13. C’mon
14. Let The Kid Out
The ANGEL tour starts March 3rd and you can get your tickets and meet and greets at www.angelbandofficial.com
March 3rd – NYC – The Cutting Room
March 4th – Teaneck, NJ – Debonair Music Hall (Angel with STARZ)
March 10th – Sellersville PA, – Sellersville Theater
March 11th – Akron OH – The Empire ( Sold Out )
March 12 – Westland MI – The Token Lounge
March 14th – Milwaukee WI – Shank Hall
March 15th – Madison WI – High Noon Saloon
March 17th – Edwardsville IL – The Wildey Theatre
March 19th – ST. Charles IL – Arcada Theatre
April 28th – Hollywood CA – The Whisky –
April 29th – Las Vegas Nev – VAMP’D –
August 25th WITH SWEET – Louisville KY – Habana Blues Night Life
August 26th WITH SWEET – Columbus Oh – King of Clubs
Many more dates to be announced soon.
