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DAMNATION ANGELS
The Valiant Fire

Massacre (2015)
Rating: 8/10

Symphonic metal is something I’ve been more than happy to live without since my initiation into the heavy metal realm back in the 80s, but every now and then it makes for a nice break to actually listen to such a subject.

Damnation Angels is a British band which formed in 2006 out of Doncaster in South Yorkshire. They released their debut EP Shadow Symphony in 2009, although it wasn’t until 2013 that their debut full-length Bringer Of Light emerged. Now, however, it seems as though the band is making up for its sporadic nature by issuing its sophomore album in the form of The Valiant Fire.

The band has undergone several line-up changes since their birth, and are currently operating as a trio with Norwegian vocalist Per Fredrik “PelleK” Åsly (PelleK, Orion’s Reign, Qantice, The Anabasis) alongside the founding duo of brothers Will (guitars) and John Graney (drums). Despite the changes in personnel, however, The Valiant Fire shows no sign of a band affected by its varying formations.

The album opens with the fantastic ‘Finding Requiem’; a truly bombastic episode in symphonic metal and the sort of majestic complexity I’d come to expect from Scandinavian and German bands. The track suggests such a mature metal force as it builds in epic fashion like a film soundtrack before synths and drums come hammering in; working atmospherically in tandem as a razor sharp thrash riff worms its way between.

Now, I’ll openly admit that PelleK’s vocals are an acquitted taste, although they do fit rather snugly into this type of powerful rock. It may baffle some when I say this, but the sort of music Damnation Angels exhibit actually has more in common with Sixx:A.M. at times and yet it’s far more potent. Whereas Sixx:A.M. vocalist James Michael remains a tepid weakness in the line-up, PelleK shows how this smooth, crystal clear vocal range can be applied to such magnificent music, and the overall result is a shimmering and extremely Gothic form of heavy metal. PelleK is at once soulful and commanding as he croons his way through those ever-changing passages which display forceful metal fused with dark, symphonic melodies.

The fact the band has started the record with a seven-minute tune merely showcases their ability and confidence. Next up is the slow burning but equally majestic ‘Icarus Syndrome’ which builds into an elephantine trudge of dark, brooding guitar echoes and a strong bass trundle. Okay, so the formula is a tad familiar in the sense that the band builds, then slows to allow the vocals to punctuate and then it all gradually builds again, but this is how epic metal of this stature works and then with a catchy chorus the band sweeps us away into some Gothic landscape where synths swirl like the stormy clouds above.

‘This Is Who We Are’ is another simmering exhibition of brooding majesty although remains one of the albums more melodic tunes, again hinting at Scandinavian and German influences, while ‘The Frontiersman’, a tad overlong at ten minutes, incorporates more of a semi-ballad type of approach. However, the latter is a track I could actually do without as for some reason it reminds me of Nickelback. All can be forgiven for such soft rock atrocities, with the likes of ‘Closure’ and its dark, slamming trudge. Strangely PelleK’s vocals have hints of The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins at times, but maybe that’s just a British thing I’m hearing! Even so, the track evolves nicely again displaying softer harmonies and a nice steady gallop.

Just when you think things can’t get any more gargantuan though, the band brings a trio of majestic symphonies with ‘Everlasting’, ‘The Fire Inside’ and ‘Under An Ancient Sun’ which all clock in at over seven minutes – the best of these being the latter which again seems to take an age to build, but once it gets going envelopes you as if you were a valiant warrior engulfed in battle. The guitars are always steady and symphonically metallic as they work in tandem with that plodding drum, and although I’d sometimes like to hear a touch more aggression within Damnation Angels sound there’s enough atmosphere and storytelling prowess to get lost in.

For orchestral motion, anthemic majesty and power metal trudge, The Valiant Fire is a grand effort that should appeal to any warriors of metal who have a taste for a wide range of acts ranging from Epica to Metallica. This composition is an impressive follow-up to Bringer Of Light and should warrant the band some serious attention worldwide.

Neil Arnold

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