ARCHON ANGEL – II

This International constellation of musicians was completely new to me and I had never come across their name prevoiusly, but they play and sound like veterans, which makes me curious as to what their previous album named Fallen from 2020 is like. Anyway, we shall focus on the latest effort here, i.e. their sophomore LP titled II. Melodic heavy metal with overtones of power metal and progressive metal might be a neat way of summing up what these eleven well-written and cohesive compositions veer toward. Although nothing on the disc is truly exceptional as such, this is a solid and focused offering from beginning to end and one that delivers hooks, atmosphere, and thunderous riffs. In addition, the vibe and feel of the music complement the lyrical narrative of the record quite nicely, and although II is it not going to win any awards for innovation and originality, it succeeds in bringing a story to life in a vivid and passionate manner. This is quality metal and a fine piece of work, and tracks such as ‘Wake of Emptiness‘, ‘Shattered‘, and ‘One Last Reflection‘ are magnificent songs that are worth a dozen spins.