When Ronnie James Dio, the legendary singer of Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Dio, passed away on May 16, no one called it the death of metal, because as far as the mainstream musical world is concerned, metal died a long time ago.
Apparently oblivious to this are the men of Angels of Babylon, who look and sound as if the ’80s never ended. Their debut album, “Kingdom of Evil,” is a straight-faced, heartfelt onslaught of power metal, perhaps the most audacious of all musical trends.
There are songs called “Oh How the Mighty Have Fallen” and “Epic Creature,” blistering guitar solos and backward vocals. There are brief electronic intros that sound as silly as Dio’s infamous keyboard riff in “Rainbow in the Dark,” back in 1983. There are photos of the band members with epically long hair and muscle tees in the album booklet, their names written in what seems to be the font used in Harry Potter films.
But this should come as no surprise; the Angels have done this all before. Vocalist David Fefolt perfected his stadium-ready wail in the epic metal band Valhalla, and the band’s drummer, who goes by the appropriately ludicrous moniker Rhino, hails from Manowar. And though they don’t have Dio himself, they do have David Ellefson, founding bassist of thrash gods Megadeth. Those pedigrees are enough to cause serious anxiety for guitarist Ethan Brosh, who can only boast a degree in songwriting from the Berklee College of Music.
That this is the work of veterans is clear throughout “Kingdom of Evil.” These are muscular, catchy, hard-driving songs, and though there’s not much in the way of variety, power metal has never been a genre to stray far from the beaten path. “Tear Out My Heart” could be a lost track from any era of Dio’s career; Even Fefolt’s voice is a dead-ringer.
Ellefson’s presence is misleading, in fact ““ this is pure power metal, with none of the chaos or aggression that set Megadeth apart in the ’80s. Brosh’s songwriting focus at Berklee seems to have been on thick, riff-based verses and soaring, fist-pumping choruses. His solos are the compulsory shred-fests of metal habit ““ Brosh is undoubtedly talented, just not exactly groundbreaking.
Of course, in this day and age, a straightforward, unabashed power metal album almost does seem groundbreaking. Gone are the days of Metallica and Iron Maiden, when teenage boys grew their hair long, turned their speakers to 11 and banged their heads until their Eddie Van Halen posters came down from the walls.
The current state of metal is less inspiring, as the ’90s grunge movement gave way to the gray-tinged, monotonously loud and angry post-grunge of Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin. Gone is the overblown sense of purpose ““ fantastical tales of wizards and demons have been replaced by dark meditations on failed relationships and alcoholism. The Angels may not appreciate hearing this, but by contrast their brand of metal is light, even fun.
It’s a small consolation, but it’s nice to know that even after Dio’s passing, there are still a few long-haired men willing to throw up the devil horns and shred like it’s the ’80s.