Free Metal Monday: Angel Sword-The Midwinter Tapes

Self-Release/Independent
2015

Formed back in 2010, Angel Sword is a heavy metal band from Helsinki, Finland. The group's first release, "Where We Are Going You Cannot Come", came out in mid-December of 2010 and that demo was followed by the 2013 EP, "Ripping the Heavens". While their name didn't ring any bells at first the artwork of "Ripping the Heavens" did and upon hearing the group's latest release I was immediately taken in and transformed by this band's sharp mixture of traditional heavy metal, N.W.O.B.H.M. and thrash! The band, which is comprised of vocalist/guitarist Jerry Razors*, guitarist/backing vocalist Sylvester Shredder bassist Eviltaker and drummer St. Peter, "worships the heavy metal gods of old, fallen into slumber decades ago and now angered by the polished plastic sound of modern metal" and that ideal is never more evident than on a track like "Midnight Survivor". With just four songs this EP is obviously a tad short, but there is still more than enough heavy metal love to go around as evident by the sweet "Heavy Metal Night"! With it's cool chorus of "It’s all good, it’s alright heavy metal binds us all tonight" we are reminded of the brotherhood that is metal and how this bound is stronger than steel and eternal! Opener "Lords of Thunder" sets the pace nicely with it's rock-infused take on N.W.O.B.H.M while the EP's last cut, "Break The Chains", makes you long for the old days when heavy metal was more about the sound and message and less about selling out and making the cover of Rolling Stone magazine!

It's hard to forget artwork like this!

Since 2010 Finland's Angel Sword have been waving the old-school flag proudly and from the looks and sounds of things they don't have any plans to suddenly stop this wonderful cause! You can read more about this band on their Facebook page and you can download this one for free by heading here. Angel Sword is oddly unsigned, but based on the strength of music like this that shouldn't be the case for too much longer!



*With a nice punk snarl and a voice that channels the greatness that is the one and only Lemmy, Jerry Razors is about as close as you can get to having the perfect front-man for this kind of old-fashioned goodness!