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You've probably noticed by now, but I'm one of those rabid fans that calls the record
store to make sure that the new releases are ready the Tuesday they're put on the shelves.
Needless to say, this puts quite a bit of pressure on the artists in question, because not
only am I expecting something great, the anticipation involved makes me almost
hyper-critical. So, when Rusted Angel's release date came and no disc was available, I
was not happy. In a brilliant move, the band actually sent me a personal copy of
their disc, something that not only am I honored by, but guaranteed extra special
attention from yours truly. Well, the disc appeared, and I spun it, and spun it, and
spun it. I taped it, I made a copy for the practice room. I have one in my car, and
all my friends now own it. Simply put, the album is just fucking incredible. Comparisons
can be drawn, and if put in a corner, I'd name Darkane the cantankerous bastard child
of Arch Enemy and Meshuggah, yet born mature and wise way beyond their years. This
is of course due to the experience of these musicians, coupled with my opinion that these
guys have a true gift for writing outlandishly technical and memorable speed metal.
The guitar work is melodious, a given since these boys are from the land of Lingenberries,
but one can't deny the almost mechanicallly precise quasi-offtime riffing/percussion
which just flies around this entire affair. Darkane got a lot of attention (and rightly
so) on the WarDance compilation, offering two tracks which appear again on Rusted Angel,
yet in a completely different way. Amplified in scope, and benefitting from the
addition of one Lawrence Mackrory on vocals, July 1999 and Convicted are par for the course
here. Meaning of course that the whole album just picks up and moves, not bothering to
rest until the end, all pieces of the puzzle falling into place seamlessly. Mackrory's
performance is also to be commended here, as he easily switches between roughly
6 voices on each track, something that could be annoying, yet here acts as another
instrument of madness, the music taking the life from your body and the vocals dragging your
husk of a corpse throughout the dirt. Short classical interludes alleviate some of the
tension, but not for long, the album quickly reverting to it's honed attack on the
senses. The band also made a wise decision (in my oh-so-humble opinion) of going to
Danne Berstrand's Dug-out studios over Studio Fredman or The Abyss. Not that I have
anything against those fine establishment, but Bergstrand is more adept at capturing the
controlled chaos of releases such as this (witness Destroy Erase vs Chaosphere), pushing
every nuanced note into the forefront. I listen to this and easily think to myself, "This
is the album XXX should have made", only leaving the names of about ten bands out out of
respect. Perfectly balancing the midpaced guitar melody of the Gothenburg Sound with
the fury of the NWoSDM, Rusted Angel is easily one of the best albums of 1999, highlighted
by strong musical performances from all five fronts. I could go into the small details,
such as Wildoer's inspired cymbal work, or both guitarist's killer solos, but instead
I'll just leave you with the simple statement that Rusted Angel blows away anything I've
heard in the last 6 months, hands down.
10 out of 10
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