lukretion Released in the early months of 2002, Of Human Bondage marks the final chapter in the second life of German power/thrash/progressive metal band Angel Dust. The band’s first incarnation, active in the 1980s, indulged in a fairly lackluster form of speed/thrash metal that resulted in two LPs. After a long hiatus, Angel Dust returned in the late 1990s with a revolutionized line-up where only drummer Dirk Assmuth and bass player Frank Banx were left from their 1980s incarnation. The new line-up embraced a different sound, retaining some of the ballsy, aggressive pacing and riffage of their speed/thrash days, but combining them with a wider array of influences, ranging from power metal to progressive metal. The end result, which can be appreciated also on Of Human Bondage, is a dark, heavy form of progressive/power metal that nods to bands like Nevermore and Grip Inc as frequently as to acts such as Evergrey, Vanden Plas and Rough Silk.

The album’s main strength lies in the shrewd combination of brutal sonic bludgeoning and majestic melodic openings. The trio of songs that start the album illustrate the approach well. These songs feature massive thrashy riffs, courtesy of the band’s new guitarist, US-born Ritchie Wilkison - clearly a disciple of the US thrash metal scene. The drums are tightly locked with the guitars and bass to form an impressive, fast-paced sonic barrage, on top of which singer Dirk Thurisch busts out his lungs with a voice that instantly brings to mind the immense Warrel Dane. The impact is devastating, taking no prisoners whatsoever. Suddenly, however, the songs veer into chorus sections that feature absolutely irresistible melodies, full of power and melancholy, masterfully interpreted by Dirk Thurisch - one of the most underrated singers in this genre. Steven Banx’s keyboards are also distinctive, with their 1980s retro-futuristic tones adding sudden bursts of colour and projecting the whole album into a different dimension. Truth be told, this overall approach is not radically different from what Nevermore themselves were doing in those years, for instance in their 2000 LP Dead Heart in a Dead World. However, Angel Dust retain a unique, distinctive sound, more germane to the Teutonic speed/power metal tradition.

The album is cleverly constructed, alternating songs that follow the brutal-then-melodic format described earlier, to others that explore slightly different directions, such as the dark, mournful ballads “Disbeliever”and “The Cultman”, cleverly placed at strategic points in the tracklist to provide some respite from the bludgeoning of the other tracks. The album mid-section veers into weirder directions, with “Forever” and “Got This Evil” featuring a certain 1980s hard rock / metal swagger as well as slightly over-the-top vocal melodies (which do not actually work so well in the case of “Got This Evil”).

The biggest surprise, however, is kept for last. The album closes with “Killer”, an unlikely cover of the 1990’s techno/R&B hit penned by DJ Adamski and Seal. This song is hands-down the best metal cover of a non-metal track I have ever heard. It takes Adamski’s iconic bassline and transforms it into a ferocious guitar riff that, combined with the fast-paced drumming and synth loops, inject a sense of urgency and peril to the whole song. Meanwhile, Seal’s enigmatic lyrics and vocal lines take new life through Dirk Thurisch’s menacing, slightly computerized voice. Dark, sinister and futuristic – “Killer” is an instant triumph that closes the album in the best possible way.

It’s hard to find weaknesses in this record, but I am not a big fan of its loud, brickwalled production. I feel that a tad more nuance in the sounds and in the mix, injecting a little bit more dynamics into the music, would have done more justice to the songs. Readers should also be warned that it may take a few listens to fully appreciate what Angel Dust have done here. On first impact, the album may come across as slightly raw and unpolished (perhaps another unfortunate consequence of the production). With time, the songs will unfold and reveal surprising details and nuances, so repeated listening is recommended.

In comparison with the band’s previous albums, Of Human Bondage may perhaps fall short of the grandeur and vision of Angel Dust’s masterpiece, 2000’s Enlighten the Darkness, but it comes off as a close second. It is unclear whether the Angel Dust story will have more chapters yet to be written (the band are currently active, but it has been years since a new album has been announced in the makings). But if Of Human Bondage were to be the final chapter in Angel Dust’s story, it is safe to say that it would have sealed their discography on a remarkably high note.

Nightfly It’s only in the last year or two that I actually heard Angel Dust for the first time. After starting life as a speed metal band in the 80’s, they split up after two albums and reformed in 1997, re-inventing themselves as a power metal band, releasing a further four albums. It was on these later releases that were my first taste of the band. I’m quite selective with power metal, generally preferring the heavier USPM, but German PM bands can often be heavier than many of their other European counterparts as well. Such is the case with Angel Dust and I was impressed with their strong hooks and melodies that didn’t sacrifice heaviness.

To Dust You Will Decay, released in 1988, is the second of their original incarnation albums. It’s not surprisingly as slick as their later work but still has a powerful , full and professional sounding production, especially for the time when lesser known bands often released albums with a less than perfect sound to put it kindly. The band are tight and the nine songs are well played speed metal , occasionally verging on thrash, with no shortage of compelling riffs on not surprisingly, mainly up-tempo numbers. It’s on these songs where the band is at their best, the few mid-paced songs like Wings Of An Angel being less memorable though lesser bands would be glad of them. The songs often contain melodic elements making a bridge to their later power metal style. The increase in melody is more noticeable from their debut which was at the thrashier end of speed metal, which nevertheless was an equally fine album. Pick of the bunch? The King and the title track and The Duel are as good a choice as any, as I prefer my metal fast but there’s plenty of similar quality to pick from here.

I wish I’d been aware of this band in the 80’s as this is certainly an album I would have bought at the time but in those pre-internet days it wasn’t as easy to hear new albums as it is now. Still better late than never and I can recommend this along with Angel Dust’s other five albums very highly.

siLLy puPPy After Venom unleashed its landmark debut album “Welcome To Hell,” it was sort of an invitation for metal bands to become ever more extreme and would lead to many forks in the metal road. While generally described as speed metal as it wasn’t quite thrash and despite the early blueprints not even close to black metal, it seems that other English bands were too busy following in the footsteps of Judas Priest and other NWOBHM pioneers therefore Germany seems to have been the nation that picked up on the opportunity to take speed metal into ever faster gallops with bands like Blind Guardian and Helloween having become the most famous. The Dortmund based ANGEL DUST was yet another pioneer that straddled in between the early heavy metal of the 80s and the more extreme thrash that was gestating around the same time.

Formed in 1984 and heavily influenced by Venom to the extent that the band even took its moniker from Venom’s debut album, this quartet of Romme Keymer (vocals, guitar), Andreas Lohrum (guitars), Frank Banx (bass) and Dirk Assmuth (drums) started out as a mere garage rock band but quickly honed its chops to become one of the 80s most ferocious speed metal acts. The band released its debut INTO THE DARK PAST in 1986 and although would go through a series of lineup changes and change steer its style into a more progressively infused power metal still nonetheless unleashed one of the must hear speed metal contributions in the 80s when thrash metal was coming of age, death and black metal were still in diapers and Helloween was just making the ole switcheroo from speed to power metal.

Musically this one’s a beast. Starting with some atonal classical piano sounds it adds some synthesizer sounds which is the calm before the storm because once the thundering din of the twin guitar assaults strike, it’s a speed metal roller coaster for the rest of the ride. Obvious antecedents include bands like Running Wild, Exciter and even Motorhead but ANGEL DUST delivers a more sophisticated blend of knotty riffing and a sniff of thrash metal sensibilities although this speed metal rampage is more akin to the typical NWOBM only on steroids. Musicwise INTO THE DARK PAST is flawless with excellent twin guitar attacks that offer the perfect mix of crunchy riffing and sizzling face melting solos. The bass is completely independent and never gets buried and the drumming prowess matches the technical chops of any tech infused extreme metal band of the day.

Perhaps the one weak point for ANGEL DUST at this point is the vocals. While the expected delivery of speed and power metal is a more operatic performance, Romme Keymer’s rough and tumble style is more akin to Lemmy of Motorhead which gives this album a bit of street cred grunginess and although i don’t exactly love his style, it’s certainly not offensive to the ears in any way and in many ways actually matches the rather filthy guitar distortion and semi-sloppy playing style however he does belt out a few high squealed yelps. Overall the album feels like it’s just a few baby steps away from entering thrash metal territory but then again that’s what speed metal was all about wasn’t it? This is not my favorite speed metal album of the 80s but there is no denying the excellent musicianship and the balls to the wall energetic drive so this is certainly one who is seeking out the 80s excesses of speed metal cannot miss out on.

Warthur Angel Dust's second album only really shares its rhythm section with the Into the Dark Past lineup, and consequently it sees a bit of a shift in the band's sound. The thrashier aspects of the previous album are toned down, and the sound of the band drifts further towards the power metal end of the speed metal territory. (Lyrically, too, the songs shift more towards fantastical subject and focus less on more down-to-earth concerns than the debut.) S.L. Coe's vocals are a big improvement over Romme Keymer's vocals on the original, mind you, and on the whole the shift in sound manages to refresh the Angel Dust approach nicely.

Warthur If you wanted to make an argument for speed metal as occupying a middle ground between traditional heavy metal, thrash metal, and power metal, Angel Dust's debut album could be Exhibit A for your case. Romme Keymer's vocals may occasionally be a little shaky, but the twin lead guitar assault he mounts with Andreas Lohrum is more than enough to inject energy and vigour into the proceedings here, with a hard, defiant edge to both the music and lyrics reminiscent of the more political moments of 1980s thrash whilst at the same time occasionally hinting at a more epic scope to the band's concerns suggestive of early power metal. Fast, thrilling, this is an exemplary piece of 1980s metal.