SEBASTIAN BACH: Angel Down (Merovingian)
By Fizz
Rating: 9.0
Well, damn me for a mutt! I've had this CD for a couple months now, and am just now getting around to reviewing it. Why, you ask? Is it my usual procrastinating nature? Not entirely, this time. More than a few times, I put the disc in to give it one final, front-to-back listen, and I'd wind up listening to it all evening and forget all about writing a review.
It's not just that Angel Down is a great record, but that I didn't have very high expectations for it. Actually, I didn't really know what to expect. Sebastian Bach has been doing almost everything BUT making new, original music since his departure from Skid Row in the late '90's. He's done Broadway, been on various TV shows (none particularly flattering), and released half a dozen mostly-unremarkable new tunes. The rest of the time he's gone around with various band lineups, playing the same Skid Row songs he continually blasted his former band for also making their living from. At least Skid Row, with Johnny Solinger, have made two full albums of new music. Problem is, they aren't, either one, very good albums. So what could we expect from their former frontman, after frittering away most of the decade?
I'm extremely pleased to report that Baz really knocked it out of the park with Angel Down. Its closest Skid Row comparison would probably be the band's 1995 release, Subhuman Race, yet this sounds much more alive and unrestrained than that record. There are moments that hearken back to the Skids' magnum opus, and probably my favorite album of all time, 1991's mind-boggling Slave To The Grind, and there are some "modern metal" touches as well. And by that, I don't mean nu-metal, or metalcore, or any of that shit. There are even a small handful of songs that sound like they could be radical updates of the '89 debut.
Baz comes out screaming, right from the beginning, which is the disc's one major flaw. I guess after his iconic scream in 'Monkey Business,' the man figured that must be what we want from him most of the time, so he screams his lungs out on Angel Down. It can be grating at times, especially at first, and sometimes seems just like an exercise to see how long and how loud he can scream. But get past that, and you'll hear him using all of his various tones, from an angry, Phil Anselmo-like bellow, to a low, menacing rumble, to some high-pitched wailing, to a gentle croon. Hell, he goes through several different voices just on the opening title track, and as soon as he opens his mouth, damn if I don't find myself imitating his lunatic stage presence. From there, we're on a roller-coaster ride of pure metal bliss. "You Don't Understand" is a fast-paced, scream-free track that's all about melody, and is a nice change-up after the fury of the first song. "American Metalhead" sounds like Accept on steroids, while "Negative Light" slams like Pantera (check out the chugging middle part for a serious pounding). A more modern, grooving approach is used on "Live And Die" and "You Bring Me Down", with plenty of room for Baz's one-of-a-kind voice in between the riffs. A few light-heavy mixes appear, in the form of "Stuck Inside" and "Stabbin' Daggers", with ominously calm verses exploding into huge choruses. Oh hey hey, what's that on the latter? Cowbell! All right! Meanwhile, "Take Me Down With You", one of my favorites, shuffles along like Trouble riding in a tank, lugging one of the album's best riffs along for the trip.
Axl Rose, Baz's new best buddy (and benefactor, since he did Bach a huge favor by having him open on GnR's last tour), crawls out of his cave long enough to lend guest-vocals to three songs. "(Love Is) A Bitchslap" is basically a modernized, somewhat punkish version of early Skid Row and classic Gunners, with easy-to-follow lyrics and simple, catchy melodies, probably why it was chosen as the first single. Axl offers a few choice shrieks on the aforementioned "Stuck Inside" as well, and he and Baz trade lines on a ham-fisted rendition of Aerosmith's "Back In The Saddle". Axl's cameo is getting a lot more attention than it deserves, though it does offer proof that he has actually set foot in a recording studio sometime in the recent past. He sounds pretty much like himself, but I find it funny the way his voice sounds so small and yippy next to Sebastian's window-rattling roar. Either that, or he's just way low in the mix.
Of course, the man who moistened the panties of countless teenage girls by warbling "I Remember You" couldn't turn this one in without a couple ballads, and fine ones they are, although they can't compete with moody Skid Row classics like "Wasted Time" or "In A Darkened Room". "By Your Side" is a sweet, acoustic-based number, presumably a send-up to Baz's late father, marred only by a pointless minute of noise at the end. The other ballad, "Falling Into You", was co-written with Desmond Child, famous for wimping out bands like Kiss and Aerosmith in the 80's, but who has redeemed himself somewhat through recent work with Scorpions and now Bach. This song is the most (only?) 80's-sounding thing on the record, and bears Child's unmistakable stamp, right down to the soft, piano-and-vocals verses that build into the harmonized, super-memorable chorus. I don't know, either this song just happens to be exceptionally well-executed, or it's just been so long since we've heard a song so authentically in this style, but dammit, it totally works, and finishes the album on a strong note.
Angel Down was produced by Roy Z., most noted for his work with Rob Halford's solo material, and I imagine he played a huge part in assembling Bach's current band, which includes Halford alumni Bobby Jarzombek on drums, and "Metal" Mike Chlasciak on guitar. Bass legend Steve DiGiorgio and some guitarist named Johnny Chromatic round out the group. It should say something for their collective talent, that Baz manages not to completely steal the show. In fact, Metal Mike nearly steals the show himself more than once. As far as the songs themselves go, we already know Sebastian himself isn't the world's strongest songwriter, despite what appear to be his attempts to take a bigger share of the credit than is his due. That he had help writing the songs for Angel Down is no surprise, and no secret. Hell, "American Metalhead" was actually recorded by Metal Mike's other band, Painmuseum a few years ago. Whoever wrote what, though, Angel Down is an excellent, diverse record, with so many different things going on from song to song, yet still sounding cohesive. The only misstep, if you want to call it that, is "Our Love Is A Lie", which sounds too much like "Bitchslap II". I suppose the cover tune wasn't all that necessary either, but what the hell?
Damn, I was all set to give my boys American Dog the award for best album of 2007, and along came Sebastian Bach late in the year and snatched it for himself!
Best songs: "You Don't Understand", "Take Me Down With You", "Stabbin' Daggers"
Worst song: "Our Love Is A Lie"
