ANGEL HOUSE - review added 12th November 2009
Album Review: The Gun, The Love and the Cross (2009)
For fans of: Heavy Rock... and be-winged thingies
I've been sat here listening to The Gun, The Love and the Cross and thinking how familiar it all sounded. I have finally reasoned why. Angel House were the opening act at this year's Z-Rock festival - check out the review here. Memory like a sieve I tell you!
The band - Pete Easthope on vocals and guitar, Simon Cooper on drums and Phil Easthope on bass - play a meaty heavy rock that nods to classic British rock of the 70's and 80's. It's chunky, raw, and very masculine. The production by occasional Magnum helmsman Mark Stuart is understated but very apt. If Angel House sounded refined and smooth they'd lose a big percentage of their character.
First track 'This Spirit' defines the sound of the entire album. It's beefy, simplistic and has a strength of character you could use to knock nails into granite. Pete Easthope's voice is really likeable. He isn't classically brilliant, and maybe he's rough round the edges, but I love the honesty of his tone. He sounds like someone who'd go down well in a biker bar, or perhaps a violent prison. If he sounded any more testosterone-infused you'd probably get pregnant just by listening to him.
'Heaven Tonight' - featuring Lauren Bull - breaks the flow momentarily. It's a slower number with a semi-anthemic chorus. It isn't quite up there with Yngwie Malmsteen's similarly titled song, but the Angel House version would win if they got in a fight in a back alley. Final track 'When The Water Gets Too High' - with string arrangements by Sheena Sear - is an interesting one. The start of the track is utterly mesmerising and very beautiful. It's the one song on the album that truly does something different. I'd like to hear them recording more of this sort of thing. It works brilliantly.
As we noted for their live performance, Angel House are a touch one dimensional. They head off down the odd tangent here and there and, when they do, they occasionally find something memorable. In the end there isn't a huge amount of variety on The Gun, The Love and the Cross. The result isn't classically great...but it certainly isn't terrible.
Check out... That final track.
CD Track List:
01. This Spirit
02. Iron Rails
03. Day By Day
04. House Of Law
05. Heaven Tonight
06. Hit The Target
07. Breakout
08. Soul Breaker
09. The Last Song
10. When The Water Gets Too High
Label: Escape Music
Artist's website(s): Angel House , MySpace
