Sebastian Bach-Angel Down

Sebastian Bach-Angel Down
Mrv
2007

It’s only a matter of weeks until the end of 2007 and many people are already compiling their list of the top albums of this year. Yet there are still a few releases coming out here and this might be one of the most anticipated hard rock albums of the year. The former Skid Row vocalist recorded most of this album way back in the summer of 2006. It’s also his first album in eight years and of course a man who is no stranger to delays, Axl Rose lends his voice to a few tracks on this release. My first reaction to this album is that there is less of an ongoing theme than I imagined. Largely everything is hard rock to metal, but a number of the songs vary in style. Perhaps that has to do with a not having done an album in a while so many different ideas have built up in Mr. Bach’s head over the years. Perhaps this album has indeed benefited from him taking his time on getting this album out. The vocals are as strong as ever and there are several moments where I am reminded of Skid Row’s “Slave to the grind” album. At times it almost seems like 1991 was not all that long go or at least that seems to hold true for Mr. Bach’s vocals. The music is well produced and primarily it’s fairly sharp and cutting. The majority of the tunes lean towards a style that was more prominent between say 1990-1995, but that’s okay by me. Still the songs move along so well that they sound fresh enough to work. No new ground is being broken here, but I don’t think anyone expected that. Sebastian Bach was one of the stronger hard rock singers to emerge during “hair metal’s” big prime in the late 80’s-early 90’s. He had his own patented screeching style and a strong stage presence plus he never really had a bad album. Judging from his new release he doesn’t seem to have lost a step either and it’s little wonder he gets more attention than his former band. Oh and Axl sounds just like you would expect Axl to sound like. Not a barnstormer perhaps, but a good release that will make fans wish he would release albums a bit more frequently.

http://www.myspace.com/sebastianbach