Some times, just mentioning that a band consists of well known metal musicians can bring an effect opposite than the one desired. What this means is that the expectations may exceed the level of the specific release. The result is that the listener may be disappointed and drop an album that did not meet the expectations created by the fuss of mentioning the musicians involved.

This is what could happen with this debut release by the American band Angels of Babylon. The credits, highlight the glorious past of Dave Ellefson (do I even need to mention the band?) and Rhino. For the unbelievers and the non-metallers, I must say that Rhino was the one to replace Scott Colombus behind the Manowar drum set during the Triumph Of Steel period. Looking at the band’s lineup, I could not help but wonder about the music’s orientation. Was it a true metal release under Manowar influence? Or was it something closer to the Megadeth Rust In Peace period? Therefore, I set my standards high and did not leave the slightest chance for Angels Of Babylon to try and reach them. This is a clear Power Metal oriented album, with a strong melodic profile that matures through the keyboards that accompany the rhythm section of the album. Singer David Fefolt has a remarkable voice with a high pitch and a sound that fits the album perfectly, yet predictable and ordinary. This does not only apply to the vocals section of the album but to music in general as contained herein. Meaning that this is a classic Power Metal release with all the elements that we expect to find there when we push the play button. This is not necessarily a bad thing, considering that there is a big part of metal fans that prefer such things, not really looking towards originality. I must confess that the Royal Hunt bits and pieces with the characteristic keyboards did not leave me untouched. There is a subliminal progressive approach that gives the songs an extra dynamics, showing that they struggle to escape the Power Metal clichés.

It is also quite evident that Ellefson’s presence is obscured by Rhino’s drumming escapades. It is worth mentioning the lead guitar good work, where Ethan Brosh’s fingers “torture” his strings with consecutive changes to scales and very good solos. As I mentioned before, this is an album that the level of its creators, exceeds the level of the compositions that are, really, quite ordinary. If you consider buying this album, you’d better sample it by visiting the band’s myspace page (myspace.com/officialangelsofbabylon) to avoid disappointment. These are hard times we are living anyway…