As I listened to “Blood of Saints”, the penny, or as Engel are Swedish, the krona dropped. The style made me remember I’d seen Engel play live at the Forum inLondonin 2007 in support of Amon Amarth and Dimmu Borgir. They impressed me then. They were making an impression as I listened to their new album.
The overriding impression is of a wide range of melodic metal action at all levels. It seems disproportionate to the number of musicians in the band. Engel are from Gothenburg where there’s a history of this sort of thing. In fact I would associate their musical style more with Danish melo deathsters Raunchy but more complex than that or Mnemic. The heavy rumblings begin with “Question your Place” whose electro insertions add colour. Thunder meets pop. This is how it was going to be. It’s catchy and harmonious yet crushing and brutal. As “Frontline” kicks in, the speed and fury rise. The production is very Swedish – by Tue Madsen who operates for The Haunted, Dark Tranquillity and Hatesphere – so standing still just isn’t an option. The duo of guitars adds extra heaviness. The difference here is the commercial vocals, which as the album progresses have chorus lines to match. “Feel Afraid” is a little bit toned down and is more emotive. The guitars pump out a catchy riff over the wall of sound.
Most tracks on this album can be summed in the same way. “Numb” is typical. Another melo-death track with a Raunchy-esque chorus, it has motion, aggression, good hooks and catchiness. The songs are well-constructed and are well sung. “Cash King” is harder and heavier than most, but also brings in the first real sign of cheesiness. It’s a good track, bouncy and thrashy, relentless like a drill, enhanced by a purposeful guitar solo, upbeat and with a memorable chorus. As the album progressed, “Blood of Saints” lost character, comprising pop music with a metal backdrop. There were good moments, among them the punchy and driving force behind the title track but then “Down to Nothing” was toned down to standard riff-driven melodic metal without any real “extras”. The chugging “In Darkness” made me more convinced that Engel were turning into Raunchy, but the guitar work as ever is good and as with all the tracks, it is solid. This track hangs between its pulsating melody and its cheesy chorus line. The vocals on the final track “Journeys End” are for the most part softer than ever but the overall structure is good, and the mix of the commercial and the aggressive does capture a key quality of this band.
After seeing Engel in 2007 and enjoying their show, I didn’t do anything more about it. Like that performance, “Blood of Saints” is an enjoyable album by good musicians who know about metal melodies. Engel have a pattern of playing and follow it. Nice as I found this album to listen to, I can’t claim that it was life-changing.
(6 / 10 Andrew Doherty)
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